Hope Is Home
by enlightedfallenAngel
Summary: Hope and Lightning have hit the road for a new journey in their life. There may be a lot of factors they didn't understand yet, but they did know one thing. They were partners till the end. Sequel to "A Bond That Ties Us Together". Takes place after Lightning Returns and after Tracer Of Memories. Read and enjoy!
1. Breaking the cycle

"_**Life never travels the same road twice."**_

**Guy Finley**

A look around the table made him realize how much progress had slowed down. The paperwork in front of him suggested that the time frame for the project had been in its fifth stage two weeks ago. Yet here he was in a business meeting trying to frame together something that was supposed to be done a month ago.

"_Wonderful. And I promised Claire and the kids I'd leave work early too_." He thought bitterly as Hope studied the person presenting the patent filing status.

"It's all pretty much official at this point, there's a mandatory thirty day waiting period before the department of commerce reviews it for assurance, then the seal-"

"_How am I going to explain this one? Sorry your dad's too busy dealing with attorneys and yes men to come to you. Really man, you can't do this again,"_ he argued himself again as he half heartily listened to the man in front of him that refused to get straight to the point.

After a few more minutes of the lingering reminders of things going according to schedule, Hope rolled his eyes at the folder in front of him proving otherwise. The man finally sat down and the heads all moved towards the director's attention.

Hope gave the older gentleman next to him a nod as the latter got up and officially closed the meeting. Hope didn't want to end the meeting himself in fear that someone would try to ask more questions. Already being stuck here close to forty minutes from when he'd planned the room to be empty.

The group quietly murmuring among themselves and gathering their belongings in fair agreement left in packs as Hope remained alone with two other old friends.

"Well that sucked," said Gale reaching for his phone and whistling at the time.

"I ordered take out about an hour ago so I can only assume it's outside my office cold by now or the interns probably gobbled it all up," sighed the man releasing the top button of his dress shirt.

Looking back at Hope collecting his things he noticed the slight frantic movements and chuckled at what he knew was the root of the problem.

"Roger I think you and I better leave for lunch, I have a feeling director Einstein won't be joining us today," Gale said pointedly at the disgruntled platinum haired man who glared back. He wondered if his wife had given him pointers.

Slightly frowning back at his friend Roger looked towards Hope apologetically.

"You want us to take care of the reports?" He asked getting up from his chair reaching for the few stacks of paper in the table.

Looking down at his watch Hope looked at the gone stacks in front of him gratefully. Standing next to him was Gale with his hands in his pockets.

"Don't worry Einstein my secretary will take your calls for the night," he said assuring.

Nodding at both his friends Hope quickly said his goodbyes and left with his briefcase in hand. The drive wasn't that bad, rush hour wasn't for a while. When he got in his car he immediately went for his phone and speed dialed. Moving his car from the familiar garage park he headed towards the outside of the city limits.

Still stuck in the second traffic lights he finally got someone in the line.

"Sorry for not picking up, Faith decided to play with my purse again," said the woman flatly.

Keeping himself from laughing he drove on at sight of the green light. Keeping the happy thought he heard the crackle behind the phone line.

"Is she there with you?" He asked decoding the noise from the feedback. The four year old was more likely than not being behind it all.

Hearing a gentle shush in the back noise Lightning's voice came back. She asked him about his day and he quickly dismissed it as simply, "fine."

Somethings never changed. But for now she wasn't going to press the issue.

"Claire I'm less than half an hour away from making it to the beach. How was the hotel booking? Did you make it all okay? Sorry for-"

"Hope," she interrupted calmly. "You're on your way, you don't need to apologize. Focus on driving safely instead."

Allowing himself to laugh he voiced his false concern quickly. "Driving and being on the phone isn't considered safe, you know."

"Then hang up and pay attention to the road," she said seriously.

Keeping his eyes on the road he admitted his thoughts. Lowering his voice slightly he couldn't help but feel weak.

"I know, just wanted to hear your voice. I missed you all this weekend." Hope said softly keeping his hand to grip the phone tighter. There was a pause on the line before he heard another voice again.

"Hey dad, I found another shell. Aaron thinks they all look the same, he's trying to help me find better shells. All he does is get mad and keep saying it's his worst birthday ever." Said the little girl almost too casually.

Keeping his face from twitching at the sisterly tattletale. He kept his voice down and laughed into the phone.

"Don't worry, he's just a little tired of waiting. Be patient with him I'll be there soon. How's your mother?" Hope asked finally trying to keep his attention at the next exit towards the highway.

"Hmm….she got really red when you said something to her. Did you tell mommy y-," the too honest girl's voice left the phone line and was replaced by another pause.

"Hope sorry but we have to hang up. You're driving as we speak, get here safely," she said curtly as she failed to hide her embarrassment.

Deciding not to argue any further he smiled before asking a pensive question.

"So Faith said that her brother is upset, said something about this being the worst birthday ever. Is he really that mad?" Hope asked keeping his eyes from moving from the road.

She was silent for a while before he heard her muffled voice. It was hard to tell what she was saying. He could make a few words out and his ears perked at the voice of the stoic kid.

It took a while to hear the clash of personalities on the line. He heard his wife's voice first.

"Your father wants to talk to you."

Hope heard the grumpy reply.

"Is he even going to show up? I'm digging for shells anyways."

"Aaron Estheim I suggest you leave your shells and get up now. Your father is waiting." Lightning said applying a bit of force in her voice. For a moment Hope wondered if it was a good idea to just speak into the phone and tell his son not to worry for not wanting to talk.

Then he heard the grinded teeth of his son closely. To this day he always listened to his mother's 'suggestions'.

"Hey dad, mom's being weird again," was the first thing the boy said to him.

Keeping a grin at the irony of it all Hope kept his tone serious.

"Mind your mother Aaron. Besides it won't take long for me to get there." Hope said hearing a familiar 'tch' coming from the other end.

"You're on your way huh?" Asked the skeptical kid which in all purposes reminded Hope of his mother's 'charming' way of opening up.

"Yup."

There was silence again which made the concerned father look at his phone's signal bars and put the phone back to his ear when he saw the full bars.

"Aaron? Are you there? I don't hea-"

"Can you bring some ice cream?" The voice suddenly blurted out, startling the man at the random request.

Keeping his face as straight as possible Hope thought of the consequences from the last time ice cream caused a pissed off Lightning to ban the tasty junk food from the Estheim residence.

To this day it was the funniest moment he'd witness between his wife and her smaller doppelganger. At first it started out as a simple no from both parents. That was a given, the boy had already eaten a bag of chocolate covered peanuts. In a more personal note perhaps Lightning came a little too quick to deny their son of further treats because her favorite snack had been munched completely.

Not that it mattered because by the time Lightning had walked over to the kitchen to assist her husband cook dinner; there was the small pink haired youth with chocolate covered ice cream remains all over his mouth. That wasn't even the best part for Hope.

The fact that the five year old boy that shared his emerald eyes managed to keep the most Lightning like defiant look as he stared blankly at the popsicle stick made Hope laugh harder than he should.

The final verdict was, a pissed off wife for having a rebellious son and an equally difficult husband. Who was too busy tearing up to help her discipline their son of deliberate disobedience.

It probably didn't help either that Hope's defense was to the lines of "he's got your genes". And so the boy did and ice cream was no longer welcomed by the person in charge of the house.

Fondly remembering that year Hope chuckled at the memories of actually being home. Giving a convincing sigh of defeat he whispered into the phone.

"Alright you got yourself a deal, just don't misbehave on my way there okay?" Hope reasoned hearing a noise of surprise.

"Wait. Dad you're actually coming then?" The boy asked keeping the surprised voice from before. The man looked at the sign above him directing him to the coast exit in twenty miles.

"Yes of course, try helping your sister find some neat shells for me okay? Now pass me your mother, I love you." He said waiting for the boy to pass the phone over. The noise didn't change position for a while though.

"Yeah I'll try helping her out. Sis has some neat one's already," the boy responded as the line shifted in feedback again towards Lightning's familiar voice.

"Okay seriously though hang up, we'll talk in a bit," she said slightly agitated. Hope knew better though.

Deciding to finally let go he said his goodbyes and waited for her to drop the line. Instead…

"Hope?"

"Hm?"

"Whatever ice cream you bring over, make sure you get strawberry please." She stated as the slightly shocked man shook his head in disbelief.

"_Was she listening?"_

Scratching the side of his head Hope mumbled in response.

"Hope?"

"Hmm?"

...

…

"Be careful, love you."

The clicking noise ended their conversation as Hope locked his phone contently. There were a lot of things he needed to improve on. Truth be told being a father was probably the hardest job tittle he had ever had. Its easy planning ahead and making schedules about spending time together.

In his youth he felt justified for resenting his father. Always calling in late to explain how he wasn't going to make it in time for events his mother had planned. Giving Hope about as many broken promises as there were days in a year. And now look at him...

Karma. Perhaps necessary, maybe even mandatory in order to understand the term responsibility. Work wasn't easy. Years ago his attempt at creating a form of technology to help improve energy consumption was now a worldwide project. More than six different prototypes had been established in major cities around the world and ahead of it all was Hope Estheim.

There were many perks he had access due to his job as lead director. One of which wasn't on the table however was time. Keeping his attention to work and home was his main objective, the science came in secondary. Yet he treated his work as more than an investment. It was his life work, and more importantly it was a gateway for his children to walk in safely.

A better source, for a better life. That was his job mission even if it did sound like a lame slogan. Even now as an adult though, he had learned something new about life that made him appreciate his own father even more. An appreciation his younger self didn't fully understand.

And now that appreciation was something Hope was going to make sure he could share with his family. He wasn't an expert at fatherhood, but he had the best partner he could ask for to guide him forward. Funny enough as easy as it was to remember these sentiments it was even more nostalgic to think the road he was taking was the same one he began traveling all those years ago…

* * *

_**(Seven years ago)**_

They were a bit early, a little too early in his opinion. They hit the road at six in the morning to an airport that was twenty minutes away. To a flight they didn't have till nine in the morning. So why on earth was he watching groggily the zooming path of a quiet highway? Oh right…

"Hope did you get any sleep last night?" She asked innocently enough. Being fully aware he had spent the last few hours of the previous night packing up his stuff in procrastination that was partially his fault.

He didn't like complaining though, let alone to a person who insisted on driving while he laid back in the passenger seat. Lightning looking as alert and ready as he normally would be two-three hours from now with his coffee in hand.

"I'm fine Light, my face just needs a bit of waking up," he replied looking at her side reassuringly. Meeting her eyes momentarily he found himself soon staring at a blue thermos presented to him.

"It's freshly brewed from my place from when you picked me up earlier," Lightning said forcing the hot container in the cup holder beside him.

Hope gratefully smiled back but made no attempt to reach for it. For a while the gesture felt unnoticed until he heard her tap her fingers by his side of the seat.

"Drink it before it gets cold Hope," she insisted while he slowly moved his eyes to the coffee aromatic beverage. Still not budging.

He did the math in his head and he figured the thermos probably could hold the inside temperature for another hour before it started to give off heat. Otherwise he would make sure Lightning knew to ask for a refund if she had recently purchased the thermos.

Hearing a quiet sigh his attention turned to her who now kept her attention partly at the road. He was going to insist on keeping her attention at the road as well before she interrupted his thoughts.

"Your eyes are practically falling from being tired, drink the coffee please. It will keep me from looking at the road and make you feel slightly better," she reasoned as he quietly observed her.

She looked nice as usual, but her hair seemed a little different. A part of him wondered why she decided to straightened her hair today. Not that it mattered, because again she always looked pretty. But Hope had always wondered if she had always purposely kept the left front strand of her pink hair curly and now he had his answer. Apparently Claire Farron made the time to keep a certain hairstyle. Too bad he couldn't find the time to get a decent haircut.

Looking at himself at the side of the window he saw his usually long silver hair back with the wings style bangs slightly kept back from earlier today. He needed to do something about it, and clearly sleep deprivation was making him more self-conscience. Maybe he did-

"Hope!"

"Yea- Owww!"

That woke him up. His eyes crossed towards the top of his forehead where the slightly red mark still stung from the flick before. Looking at the one responsible for it Hope frowned in response.

"We need to find a new way for you to get my attention Light," he said sitting up a bit more alert than before.

Boring her eyes at him she motioned to the coffee. Not wasting any more reasons to annoy her he lifted the thermos and silently drank it in slurps. He swore sometimes she treated him like a kid. Technically he was twenty seven, a full six years older than her.

Outside this car the people that surrounded him noticed him as man with a vision. Completely respected and kept in warm light of most conversations. Yet somehow he managed to find someone who kept him in check, and probably didn't bother reminding him with her actions.

Still, he had to thankful he supposed. Not only did he have a great friend in her, but they both understood one another. They were partners.

"Feel better?" She asked as her eyes kept looking at the road in front of them.

"Yeah, are you happy?" He shot back putting down the thermos quietly back in the holder.

He didn't fully appreciate it at the time. But he didn't forget her smile when she turned to him that morning. Logically it wasn't anything meaningful, except that it was. Perhaps it was the meaningful way she said it that made him feel sure about stuff. Her being his companion to this long trip they would embark. Or maybe even convinced himself that she felt similar in respect to everything.

"Yeah. I'm happy now."

* * *

Coming up to the exit ramp to the coast outside the city Hope looked gratefully at his watch. He still had time. Not much, but it should be plenty for a few hours before the sun started to set. He absolutely needed to be there to surprise Aaron for his surprise birthday present. He wasn't going to disappoint this time.

But first things first…

"_Where is the closest store from here?"_ He asked himself looking for a place to find his last minute errand.

There were a lot of things Hope needed to improve on. He was not perfect nor did he pretend to be. But that was okay too. He had someone who was going to help him get better at this and had two assistants that would keep him from getting tunnel vision. Hope couldn't have asked for more.

**Author's Notes: Well here we are at the second part of my story. Sorry for the confusion but I planned this all to be split into different themes. The first stage was the reintroduction to Hope and Lighting's characters. And this one is more about the cause and effect of their relationship and their story to keep things together. I hope you enjoy it, and again I apologize if there is any confusion about my other story, "The Bond That Ties Us Together". That story is officially complete, I won't be uploading anything else, and this is the sequel if you will. I'm grateful for your support and really hope you enjoyed reading this. Comments and reviews are welcomed as always and I'll be tuning in soon for more! Till next time.**


	2. Standing in waves

"_**A smile is a curve that sets everything straight."**_

**Phyllis Diller**

Dealing with people on a daily basis used to consist of a few greetings here and there before he could escape in his own little bubble. That used to be the case and Hope would never had guessed how easily it took to find himself surrounded by people in his new temporary home. It wasn't anything he couldn't handle, social customs didn't bother him at all. What did keep him amazed though was how easily the woman in front of him adapted so flawlessly.

Looking down at his watch he saw they were five minutes early before the bakery even opened. Yet they were a few heads away from the line that had formed outside. It wasn't as bad as other times though. Fresh bread was a concept he didn't appreciate back in his old home and probably wouldn't have mattered to him if Lightning didn't lecture him about the proper norms of living here. That amazed him too.

Still it seemed it didn't matter how long or how far he traveled, some things remained the same. Like now for instance.

"_It's like she was born here, I can't even make out half of what she's saying," _he thought as he carefully studied the pink haired woman making conversation with the lady in front of them.

In the city of Lyon it wasn't frowned upon to be antisocial, in fact people were rather private about their business. However the norm seemed to be that the people here acted very sociable out of what Hope felt to be traditional etiquette. He studied the language in the two months they've been here and yet whatever he managed to learn his partner in front of him; who despite telling him the new language was going to be a hassle, managed to surpass him easily. He couldn't catch up and now Lighthing was inadvertently teaching him. What else was new?

Keeping his lips tightly closed he continued to listen in before he realized he was breaking a very rude rule. Both women now kept their eyes at him and the panic came in before the realization.

"_Right, introductions."_

"Bonjour monsieur. Habituellement, êtes-vous cette tranquille?" Asked the lady before moving her face up politely. Hope knew better though, curiosity was as common as frankness here.

Keeping his expression as warmly as possible he nodded in return.

"Bonjour madame. Je suis encore à apprendre les douanes de votre pays," he said keeping his smile as polite as possible. Making sure the point got across he was a tourist with terrible French.

"Je vous présente mes excuses," he added apologizing meekly hoping he wouldn't have to say anything else. Other than this barely passible excuse his other words in the French language consisted of common salutations. This template of his had kept him safe so far.

The short blonde lady smiled understandingly before turning her attention back at Lightning who Hope noted to be very unhelpful right now.

"Son français est terrible, mais il est assez charmant," the lady said to Lightning who managed to chuckle in response.

His so called friend casually looked back at him before shrugging back, "Il est exactement à quoi il ressemble."

Doing his best to keep his face from burning of embarrassment he picked up his hands from his pockets as he twiddled them patiently as he stared at the door of the bakery. It should be open any second now.

Right on cue the bell ringing at the door opened the smell of freshly baked bread good enough to make Hope forget his previous interaction. Slowly making their way in politely Hope stuck his feet near the shorter Lightning. It was easier to travel together if she did most of the talking.

"Hey Light?" he asked openly after greeting the owner as a tray was given to him.

"Oui?"

The smirk clearly demonstrating her intent to rub in the achievement among a list of others he couldn't surpass. He kept his eyes from turning into the dreaded 'puppy look' he worked so hard to erase. Still feeling the slight discomfort of his forced eyebrows Hope shook his head.

"Fair enough, listen just make sure you get enough for yourself today. I'm leaving after breakfast and probably have lunch and dinner at work again," he reminded keeping his eyes anywhere but at her. She didn't reply as usual.

The reasoning part of his mind kept telling him to give her some bargaining chip. But deep down he knew the work he had been assigned to do here was beyond his control. Time off was a possibility, but it seemed that when he was off the clock his phone would ring with engineers asking for help on translating his work. Despite the heavily detailed footnotes Hope left them before every shift he worked. It seemed they couldn't figure out how his mind worked. They questioned and he would come to work glancing at their work. Typically spending a few minutes before they stared at their mistakes and expressing the ease of it all. Answers the engineers couldn't get without his guidance. Sometimes he wished the same could be said with Lightning.

Even now he found himself following after her. In return though his health had improved. He had better sleep and a quicker pace that was decent enough to match hers.

Feeling a tug on his hand he looked down at the pointedly glance that got his attention.

"I'll bring you dinner if you want," she said flatly. Sounding more like a statement than a suggestion.

He tried hard not to laugh especially after she had bravely took it upon herself to learn how to cook a few weeks ago.

Hope swore his lips didn't curl up, but apparently she didn't agree.

"Or you can stuff yourself with more junk food. It's all the same to me," she insisted stepping up to the woven baskets of bread as they moved ahead of the line.

Opting his choice to reply he looked interestingly at the tray in his hands. Only to be taken out of his grip by the too eager woman. He didn't fight it, usually this method worked best. Usually.

Finished with picking up her bread Lightning walked towards the counter with Hope following suit watchfully. He counted the pieces of bread and as expected counted four rather than two.

They left the bakery and headed back the slowly moving crowd of people in the street. That was another thing about this place, everybody seemed to be early birds. When they first arrived to France Hope was given a planner with instructions inside to a pleasantly modern apartment fully paid for by his job.

It didn't seem to bother either of them except there was only one bedroom and that instantly made Hope look for a new place to live. Roger and Gale who traveled with them lived in the same apartment complex and were a floor ahead of them, he didn't need any more ideas lurking through them right now. Especially when they both raised their eyebrows when they saw Lightning casually walk by them in the plane they boarded and sat by a window seat next to Hope.

The first night they shared in the apartment was awkward to say the least. He should have known better before he suddenly asked her to join him. They were three researchers and they all had one apartment for one bedroom each, that was a given. Maybe his head was off in the clouds from the plane trip but he instantly face palmed when they arrived at their place.

Looking at the kitchen he crossed his arms nervously at the unusually calm Lightning. She had just left the bathroom with a hot towel wrapped around her neck already reaching for her luggage. That's when Hope decided to intervene.

"Sorry Light, they only gave me one bedroom so you can go ahead and take it, just don't bother unpacking everything yet. I'll find a better place." He assured at the woman who didn't seem to unfazed at the dilemma.

"We're staying for tonight though right?" She asked already unzipping her luggage compartments. Hope walked across from her and plopped himself in the couch he was going to get acquainted with tonight.

"Yeah, tomorrow I'll look for a new place." He said trying to rub his tired eyes awake. A random blanket wrapped itself around him and he flicked his eyes around at the pressure on top of his head.

Keeping her hand outstretched Lightning kept quiet for a while. When she was satisfied she removed her hand from on top of his head while Hope burrowed his face to the arm rest of the sofa. It was a Lightning checkup. Second one today.

"Get some rest I'll keep some stuff unpacked in the meantime," she said sitting across the loveseat with her belongings folded on her side.

He didn't feel like disagreeing so he closed his eyes instead. It took a while before he woke up that day, and funny enough it was out distress. Lightning had managed to burn something in the kitchen.

Remembering the first day in this city Hope looked across his pink haired companion who kept looking down at a small list in her hands. They had been walking for a few minutes not long from reaching their new place. It was an upstate art apartment that was elegantly placed in the middle of the square park that matched another sister apartment complex in a 'V' like shape. Hope liked it because it was a short commute to work and Lightning liked it because it was even closer to commercial centers that seemed to surround the area.

Reaching the final street of Quai Jules Courmont they stood on the right side of the Le Rhone riverwalk. Lightning loved the sight of the river, sometimes during the morning he'd find himself looking out their home's balcony at her sitting by the riverwalk bench. Hope never bothered asking why she seemed so fond of that view. He knew her good enough to know that whatever she chose to share with him wasn't Hope's call to make.

A light scorn came his way for dazing off as Lightning had called it and Hope apologetically crossed the street with her waiting on the other end.

* * *

"What's on your mind?" She asked him later in their place as they got ready for breakfast. Giving it a second thought his eyes looked upward for a while before realizing Lightning was turning on a stove knob. A little too high in fact.

Shrugging it off Hope corrected the knob setting and smiled back.

"My mind is on autopilot again, nothing serious Light," he said quickly looking at the stove to avoid her scanning eyes. He didn't enjoy keeping anything from her, but somewhere along the way she stopped believing his 'nothing serious' responses.

It was sometimes endearing as much as it was irritating. Still he was grateful that he was lucky enough to have someone filter through his bullshit.

Keeping her attention to the stove again she got the chives chopped up perfectly, slicing things with a blade seemed to be one her best attributes in the kitchen.

Drizzling the pan with oil Hope started cracking a couple of eggs before he caught her staring again. Although not as directly as before, she was watching his cooking skills. If there was one thing Hope took a sense of joy in knowing was that he currently excelled in being the home chef of the place.

Almost entirely due to Serah's help of course. During the short time Serah and Snow had let him stay with them he'd spent a lot of afternoons helping her out in the house. Snow at the time worked in the roads of the countryside bus station and wouldn't get home till late at night.

In return Hope mastered his terrible cooking abilities through the help of the younger Farron sister. Now here he was scrambling eggs as the woman he admired greatly since his youth, watched attentively to learn from his simple abilities. Full circle. We'll sort of anyways.

"So when you batter up your eggs well enough you just want to pour them over the pan after it starts to sizzle from the oil," he said suddenly as her eyes followed the mixture of eggs and cooking oil below her.

Hope let the eggs rest for a while before removing the pan from heat, a trick Serah had taught him from burning the eggs.

"After you remove it from the heat you can start moving the eggs around with a spatula. Don't worry about the white stuff around the edges Light, that's just-"

"You can call me Claire if you want," she told him reassuringly.

Keeping the pan in his hand from falling off he let it gently fall into the burner. He turned to Lightning who didn't seem to share his composure.

Her face closing in to the eggs she took the spatula from his hand and starting moving their breakfast around.

"So when do we add the chives?" She asked satisfied at her light work.

"Hope?"

"Hm? Oh y-yeah chives. Uh that's a garnish for when you serve the food," he responded half controllably. The other half still in an annoying trance of curiosity.

He wasn't an idiot. Nor did he think Lightning was one either. They both did and said things with purpose even if their personalities seemed completely different from each other. To him life consisted of his own reflection of experiences.

He had memories of his past that consisted of his parents and of his L'Cie bound family. Within that inner circle was Lightning. Scary, mean, and possible insane were the words his younger self would have described Lightning when he met her. It didn't take long to figure out she was as normal as he was. People didn't cope with situations as he did and sometimes it was easier to find purpose in things of which never had answers. She needed help and he needed to get stronger. An easy truce.

Lightning had stopped him once during the vile peaks endeavor and reminded him to call her Light from now on. Hope remembered feeling like he'd achieved something great even if he never meant to in the first place. Light was a different meaning that Lightning. One was an energy that made it possible to see things clearer and the other was a sudden pinned up discharge of electricity that stroke down on anything or anyone that got in its way. He called her Light ever since.

Hope always treasured her name and even if it took an ordeal to be present in front of each other again her namesake was something he was never going to toss away. It meant something even now.

They ate their breakfast in silence as usual. Looking over at the freshly made bread Hope grabbed a helping serving and chewed it generously. It was Lightning's idea to wake up early and get bread from across the street like everybody in the neighborhood. It was actually kind of a nice routine of theirs. Although sometimes she'd have to go alone because Hope had on occasion stayed at the lab facility he was stationed at. Hope never admitted this to her but he could have technically lived in his new office if he needed to. It was essentially an all in one studio with food and hot beverages served every morning he got there for work. He opted for breakfast at home whenever possible though.

After complimenting her on the eggs and quickly getting it dismissed by the woman in question they sat with empty plates. Since they finished Hope offered to wash their plates before heading for a shower. He found himself standing by the table as Lightning walked over to the kitchen sink with dishes in hand. Bringing up a hand to his ear he scratched an invisible itch and walked towards the kitchen.

Feeling a little guilty for watching slightly at the subtle hum from the woman in front of him cleaning dishes Hope burrowed his eyebrows. He knew at her core she was still the same person he'd grown up admiring yet Hope understood something had changed. The woman in front of him couldn't be Lightning.

She was washing dishes without a trace of irk or indifference. The real Lightning he was sure, would have her eyes glued to the sink like an objective rather than a chore. Perhaps this was a sign he didn't quite notice till now.

"_Light…you've really given up that life haven't you_?" Hope asked subconsciously as he continued to stare quietly. He felt stupid for asking himself such an obvious question. The whole point of coming to this world was to live a life free of L'Cie pandemonium and arrogant Gods. This was their home.

But perhaps in the smallest protest he secretly wished he still had her intact next to him. Like a stubborn boy who refused to give up his prized possession no matter how old or torn up it was. Maybe it was the sentiment that he wished to keep.

But he was being selfish.

"Hey Light?"

The rose colored haired woman raised her head up from the dishes. A look of slight shock was the interpretation Hope managed to achieve. Bringing a hazily stare of cerulean eyes meeting his in alarm.

"Have you been standing there?" She asked curtly before drying her hands on a towel by the sink. Hope sheepishly grinned back in response.

Walking inside the kitchen floor he balanced his weight on the stove counter before looking back at her. He briefly meet her eyes before doubt started to creep up and made him back down from this.

"Are you happy here? I mean with me and work and all," he blurted out more suddenly that he'd hoped. He watched her face change to a confused state before he scolded himself again.

Keeping his hands in his pockets from nervously joining again he looked up a bit more thorough this time. "I asked you to come with me because I knew I'd have someone to have my back without worrying about sincerity. Yet I was a bit selfish in this regard, I just don't w-"

"Selfish?" She asked suddenly keeping her hands at her hips expectantly. Keeping himself from sounding nervous again he nodded slowly.

Looking down at something Lightning kept silent. At first Hope thought he screwed up somehow and already made plans in his head to back out. It wasn't until he meet her gaze that looked up towards him in seriousness. Perhaps he was wrong about her new demeanor.

Walking towards the small step stool by the pantry she sat quietly before focusing her attention again towards him.

"Why do you think I decided to come here with you Hope? Because I needed to?" She spoke questionably at him with the same old expression he hadn't seen in a long time.

Feeling his body pulsating quickly his mouth opened in response. He needed to say words, but Hope couldn't feel his vocal chords anymore. She had staggered him.

"Hope?" She asked again before he managed to sound anything again.

"I-No I don't. Well you followed me because I asked-"

"Wrong," she interrupted again making him more confused. He wasn't sure how he managed to screw up asking a question but he kept his mouth closed when he saw her next expression.

Lightning looked serious but anger wasn't demonstrated yet. If it were Snow he'd be on the floor by now, yet a part of him felt crazy for even thinking that he saw a hint of amusement.

Keeping her tone in check she raised her eyes again, "I followed you not because I needed to, but because I wanted to. I'm happy because of that Hope."

From that point on he didn't question any doubts from her ever again. A lot of things were said later that morning and a couple of apologies were shut down by Lightning before he walked towards the bathroom. In the greater scheme of things they both agreed on setting themselves forward and understanding what really was important.

Twenty minutes later the scientist left his room with a sports coat reaching for his messenger bag near the couch. He got something to drink before meeting Lightning at the door. Reminding him she was going to call him later in the evening for dinner he thankfully nodded back.

"If it sucks don't worry I'll bring something else," she assured looking pointedly at the kitchen.

Looking down at her in amusement he smiled before she lifted her eyes down. Not embarrassingly but rather relaxingly.

"I almost forgot, you left it on the table. Don't want you to leave without it," she said with his old watch in hand. Startled he pulled at his left naked wrist and looked gratefully at her.

He took it and strapped the leather wristband of the watch on before satisfyingly looking down at the small weight on his hand.

Giving each other one last wave he heard her voice again.

"See you later Hope."

He beamed back at her, "Thanks Claire. I'll see you later."

* * *

**(Seven Years Later)**

"Hey dad's home!" Shouted the small four year old girl before walking at the front door. Her older brother didn't respond yet.

A bag in one hand Hope leaned out of the door kicking it closed behind him with his right leg as the small silver haired assistant continued to hug his left thigh.

Walking towards the small lamp desk by the front door he set the bag down and leaned down slowly. The expected gesture made the girl lift herself over his arms.

"Didn't miss me much I hope," he said as the cerulean eyed girl looked shyly as she was carried down the hallway.

"Dad Aaron said you brought ice cream, I told him about mommy. He never listens," she insisted as he straightened her long silver strands from curling up. Hope looked earnestly at his daughter's pleads as he continued carrying to the living room.

Giving her one last look of content he smiled brushing his forehead to hers in return.

"That's why your mother and I named you Faith, you have to look out for your brother. Even if he's older."

Giving him a look of understanding, yet somehow pouting her eyes towards her brother on a chair reading she replied back.

"Okay I will. I mean I'll try too," Faith mumbled in her arm before Hope planted a kiss to her forehead.

"That's my girl," he said letting her down to rejoin her collection of shells on the floor.

Hope looked at the diversity of shells and was amazed at the colors Faith managed to find. He patted her head before reminding her they would look at them all together later tonight.

Turning his attention around the hotel room he looked at the lightly colored pink haired birthday boy who looked busy with his book. Walking behind the boy's fireside chair Hope leaned his chin on top of his head.

"What you reading kiddo?"

Feeling the familiar hairstyle of his the boy moved slightly as Hope watched the front wings of his bangs pushed back by the kid in protest.

When he was satisfied with his cleared vision Aaron spoke up.

"Uncle Snow gave it to me for my birthday. It's a book about custom bikes," he explained lifting the book slightly enough for his father to see.

A few pictures here and there but mostly a thorough explanation of basic information.

"Hmm. That was nice of your uncle, are you going to be nicer to him now?" Suggested Hope looking playfully at the boy's sudden straightened posture.

"Who? Uncle Snow? No, he's still weird," the boy decided gazing up from his book.

"I see then," Hope chuckled lifting his head up again and walking in front of the boy.

"Did you thank your uncle for the gift?" He asked with a hint of seriousness making the boy look up at him.

"I didn't hug him or anything, but I did say thanks," Aaron said moving his eyes to the side. Hope nodded back then shrugged back.

"Can I hug the birthday boy?" The man asked before the kid raised his eyes at him. He didn't seem fazed by the question when he marked his book to the side.

"Yeah I guess," the boy said lifting his feet lazily from the seat with his short arms outreached. Keeping his knees bend Hope engulfed the boy who protested at the grip.

Hearing a murmur of disbelief Hope lifted him and chucked curiously.

"Happy birthday Aaron your six year old now, but don't think you can get rid of me so easily," Hope replied messing his younger son's similar hairstyle fondly.

"Yeah I know."

The boy looked boringly at the floor before looking up with interest again.

"Dad did you bring it?"

Raising an eyebrow the father remembered the little agreement from before.

"Yeah it's by the table at the door," he said finally lowering the boy who didn't waste a second heading towards his objective.

Rubbing the back of his neck he looked around for his wife who was surprisingly absent. Hope walked around the separate kitchen of the hotel room before looking back down at Faith and Aaron who already sat by the eating table with bowls in hand. He shrugged and went to help his kids instead.

A few minutes later with a more talkative son Hope listened to his children's day. Faith pitched in at the details.

"Mom said you had something planned for later," Faith said stirring her melted bowl knowingly. The small boy's emerald eyes followed his father curiously.

Hope looked thoughtfully at them before looking around again.

"Where is your mother?" Hope asked at the now suspiciously quiet kids. They were obviously hiding something but Hope gave them credit for sticking together. Too bad they were easily interrogated.

"Is mom up to something?" He asked resting his chin on his palm. Both kids looked at each other again before their father smiled again.

"Well…she was baking something earlier," Faith said finally making the older man blink in response. He didn't smell anything burned so the worst scenario obviously didn't happen.

"Okay then what happened?" Hope asked playing along his detective work. The girl opened her mouth again before she saw her brother's glance.

Instantly looking at the boy Hope looked at him expectantly. Aaron didn't seem as negotiable as his sister instead simply made a small statement.

"Mom said she was going out to get something from the store across the hotel."

"I see," said Hope looking back at his bowl trying his best to hide his smirk.

* * *

"Well it could be worse," she murmured to herself as the twenty eight year old woman glanced at the empty peg of where candles should have been displayed. Looking around the corner store her eyes searched for a nearby worker.

"_Of course nobody is around. That would be too easy. Why didn't I remember to ask Hope to get some on the way?"_ she thought clicking her tongue and looking around the other side of the birthday card aisle.

Claire picked up a blue birthday card with a ribbon tied around the edges. Opening it up she read the writing and put it back dissatisfied.

"_Too cheesy. Not even the genius at home would think of something that lame," _she laughed in her head. Even though admittedly she hadn't refused any corny sentiments her husband shared with her, making Claire a total liar.

After lifting a few cards she finally came across a green card, her son's favorite color; opening it her eyes repeated to scroll across the content inside.

"_Happy Birthday! Like mother, like son. I'm not surprised." _

Feeling her lips curl up she chuckled at the thought and lifted an envelope and walked away with it along with the card.

When she drove with her children to the beach earlier she made sure, or at least thought she was sure all the items needed for making a birthday cake had been tucked in the trunk of the car. Later when they arrived at the hotel Hope had booked for them she took her kids to the beach. Admiringly Claire was amazed how close the beach was from the hotel just off by the shore of people laying out already in the sandy surface. They walked around the beach for a bit as she watched amusingly at Faith's attempt to collect any interesting shell she thought her father would approve. Being her daughter's safe box Claire would clasp the shells in her hands.

Aaron didn't seem as happy though. And his mother felt his quietness was how he showed his storm. Not too different from her old ways of dealing with emotions. Truthfully Claire was proud of her husband for being so caring. Evidently her advice back in that old world didn't seem to interest Hope too much. When her then younger future husband had walked to a fallen PSICOM guard she had pushed him down warningly. Reminding him to focus on his goal and keeping his emotions in check. In retrospect his kindness ended up saving her.

She was glad for that and wouldn't be afraid to admit she was wrong on that one occasion. However sometimes…she knew his kindness was often exploited.

For the last year or so Hope had been struggling at work. More and more she often felt he kept things from her about what went on in his job. She had her usual suspicions though. These new people were more likely than not trying to take his credit and use his work for something else they wanted. That's how these things usually ended.

Her husband didn't seem to take anything from work to home though, although despite that their son didn't feel the same way. Claire was Aaron's mother and they always had fun no matter how many times they hanged out. But Claire knew she couldn't fill a father's shoes. She had tried within this year to do her best, but between Hope's last minute call ins to work and her own job with her sister Aaron got used to dealing with one parent at a time.

She wondered if this was faith being cruel again. But at that name their daughter was light of day. The younger silver haired girl shared her mother's eyes. Yet there was always a warming glow to them Claire knew her eyes didn't have. She was the most hopeful girl Claire had ever known.

Even now when her older brother kicked sand around their stroll there she was cheerfully pointing out things to him. Looking at a flock of seagulls circling around further away in the sea the girl pointed at them.

"Hey big brother you think there's treasure?" Faith asked as her brother as he stopped in his tracks and casually glanced to the side. Shrugging in response he opted for bluntness.

"Probably just a dead fish or something," he said scoping his eyes at a small floating object.

His sister just watched the seagulls again confusingly. She shook her head at him.

"Or maybe they're looking out for each other," she suggested moving a little closer to the shore. The push and pull waves of water got closer to her feet. Until a small hand gripped her shoulder back.

"Faith, you can't swim. Don't get too close," he hushed at her. Faith just smiled back knowingly.

"I know that. I just wanted to take a closer look."

The boy looked back at his mom who gave him a questioning look.

"You have your sister's back?" Claire asked moving along the shore lines.

The boy grabbed his sister's hand in agreement.

"Come on then let's go see," Aaron said as he guided his sister to the waves of water. Their mother reminded them to remove their sandals if they didn't want them washed away from them. Doing as they were told they stood closer to the shore feeling the moist sand between their bare feet.

Glancing back quietly Claire saw the first wave swiftly cover her children's feet. The little girl shrieked quietly at the sudden sensation then laughed at the tickling sand. Aaron still holding Faith's hand kept his face more stoic at the wave's first encounter. Clearly not impressed at the small movement. Again and again the water pushed and shoved itself from them until a bigger wave formed on its way to them.

Quickly alarmed Claire got a little closer to them before the new wave already drenched itself to both kid's bodies. Completely soaked and unafraid Aaron looked to his sister worryingly. The poor four year old girl had gotten the worse of the impact, but she was clenching her teeth before laughter came out again. Claire couldn't help but copy her son's smile too.

After drying her daughter shortly at a nearby beach towel station Claire helped dry her son's hair before Faith tip toed to them quietly.

"Mom I think dad called. His picture showed up," she said handing over the phone from her purse she was playing with before Claire looked at the missed call notification. She quickly dialed back and listened to the tone dial as her children laid on the sand counting Faith's shells.

Hearing the call pick up she spoke in the phone.

"Sorry for not picking up, Faith decided to play with my purse again."

Now it was past the afternoon and Claire had finished paying for her son's birthday card. Leaving the corner store she had made her way across the street to the hotel taking a path of small souvenir stands. Walking down quietly she continued her pace until something caught her eyes. An open tent shop laid out with different shirts and small apparel.

There on the corner of the table were a collection of bandanas and scarfs. Looking at a few colored variety of scarfs her eyes stopped at one in particular. It wasn't exactly as the one she'd used to be familiar with, it was a lighter shade of green. The design patterns were different too. Two "S" shaped markings curling towards each other. Almost building a heart if they were connected, instead resembled wings as they parted in its fold.

Before she could lift her eyes the merchant's voice spoke up.

"Hello ma'am. See something you like?"

Claire smiled at the irony in her hands.

**Author's Notes: That was a fun chapter to write. In all honesty I already finished this story a month ago and couldn't decide if I should group certain things together. I'm overall pretty happy with splitting up the story into two smaller stories. I think I like the acquaintances better this way. A few notes I will like to address is the format of the story. There will be times where the names of certain characters will remain for the duration of the 'current' time the story takes place. It emphasizes the progress that Hope and Lightning's relationship has made and will stay that way until a flashback is brought up again. Another thing I wanted to make sense of is the allusion to the word home. It's very important to the story if you haven't' figured it out yet. And part of the reason why I slit up the story was because I wanted to stress out the importance of that word. Home is the glue of the bond the story shares. In fact a lucky reference that went my way was Hope Estheim literal meaning. Estheim is a word Square Enix made up. But the word parts derive from Latin and German. "EST" is the root word "IS" in Latin. And "HEIM" is the root word meaning "HOME" in German. Put them together and you get HOPE IS HOME. Again can't take any credit just something that went my way out of luck, but I will keep this story posted for more. If you enjoyed it that's wonderful. Until next time! **


	3. Confusion on both sides

_**"Our lives are defined by opportunities. Even the ones we miss."**_

**F. Scott Fitzgerald **

"Wait hold on a sec."

"What's wrong Hope?"

… …

… …

"You've done this before right?"

"Of course."

"Oh. I was just making sure. But-"

"But what?"

"Aren't you supposed to wet it first?"

"I'm better at this when your quiet Hope, and no you don't need to always wet it first. It depends."

That was the last exchange of words before he succumbed to the silent clipping noises. It was the third month here and his hair had officially bothered Claire. The night before when Hope got home from work he noticed the bag of scissors, a clipper, and other small hair cutting accessories sitting on a stool by the breakfast table. He didn't think much of it that night, the following morning though Claire changed her tune when he confirmed he had the day off. Well as much as a day off meant with his work schedule.

After their morning routine she ordered him to stand outside their balcony patio where newspapers scattered beneath a chair awaited him. Honestly he was a bit worried. Something about sharp objects and Claire Farron didn't seem to bode well with him. Especially when he was the target. Sure Hope knew the reality of the situation, but the appearance of her stance would make any logical person worried.

It had been several minutes before they talked again. Other than the casual head movements she told him to do he pretty much hummed in obedience. She spent a little too long on the back of his hair, or at least spent longer time than the hair specialist that cut his hair seven months ago.

Feeling his head lightly pushed forward he willingly bowed down carefully. Hope felt her fingers tracing the back of his neck gently. Maybe she did know what she was doing.

"Hope do you get the back neckline squared off or rounded?" She asked suddenly making his eyes try to gaze up despite his lowered head. Thinking back he didn't even remember the lady from his previous haircut ever asking him that question. Actually that lady just zoomed her way through with a hair clipper. Hope pondered for a second.

"Honestly, I don't know. Why don't you make the call?" He suggested lifting his eyebrows at the ground. Feeling a final press of a finger at the back of his neck she hummed in response.

Feeling the cold plastic of a comb against the back of his head a slowed down cut marked its way across a line. Keeping as still as possible he tried to keep his mind occupied. Other than the woman behind him with a sharp object being his main thought he fumbled for a conversation to avoid the weary thought.

Keeping his eyes locked on the ground he slowly talked to avoid too much movement.

"So. Since when did you know how to cut hair?" Was the question Hope half curiously asked keeping in mind that the only possible answer she could give was a given. Probably Serah.

"I didn't learn it from anybody," she stated keeping his head from moving after her answer. Feeling her hands molding his head around gently Hope hummed his response.

"Come on now, you didn't just pick up a pair of scissors and cut hair Claire," he insisted feeling the comfort of her real name more assuring the more he said it.

Hearing a soft chuckle his ears perked up in slight surprise. There was no way she could have practiced on her own right?

"I used to be in a military institution, we all had protocols about appearances," she said keeping her voice from sounding flat. It was the first time since moving here that Hope ever heard her discuss 'that' life.

Feeling a soft towel pressing his back he closed his eyes trying to picture her guardian corps look. Truthfully even back then Claire was different, the standard uniform and hairstyles all soldiers and cadets used was standardized. If Hope remembered correctly the women had a mid cut skirt with long sleeve military jackets. Lightning Farron however didn't copy that look, no she stood out even back then. The one thing that perhaps did make sense back then was how proficient she seemed jumping around with her gun blade.

And ok fine Hope admitted he noticed she wore black shorts under her skirt. He wasn't a creep, Lightning Farron loved springing to action from higher platforms a little too much. It was her fault really.

Feeling the cold steel of the sharp pair of scissors again Hope came back from his thoughts as the woman kept her steady rhythm.

"I'm almost done," she said suddenly. Making his eyes roll up to his forehead, his front wing style bangs no longer tucked behind his ears. But the front bangs were still there though, and clearly he was confused about it.

"Really? What about the front of my hair?" He asked thoughtfully keeping his lips perched.

She dismissed his curiosity rather quickly, "Its fine that way."

After a few more minutes a mirror was shoved in his hands and he half interestingly moved his eyes to it. He looked fine, actually much better than his previous 'paid' haircut. His hair was no longer a long mess instead was a cleanly trimmed hairstyle with the front of his hair converging with the sides.

Claire with cutting tools seemed to be a winning combination.

Getting up from the seat he noticed the platinum strands of hair around the newspapers at the floor. Keeping his attention Claire tapped her fingers at his forehead, no flicking this time.

"Not bad actually," she commented looking satisfied at her work. Hope kept eye contact before realizing he was close enough to see his reflection in her eyes. He kept his hands firmly in his pockets as he smiled back contently.

"Thanks Claire, I'm sure you cut down enough of my hair as well as my shower time," he joked poorly as he heard her mutter something under her breath. He didn't quiet hear it though, instead he heard her reply with her gentle shove.

"Speaking of showers, you should take one. I'm not an expert at this so I'm sure there are pieces of hair that are resting in your scalp. A quick rinse ought to do the job," she said keeping her face upfront. Knowingly as always.

Looking at her one more time he noticed her eyes kept a soft sincerity before he backed away. Hope was not going to end this in her terms again.

"Fine I'll go take a shower, and you'll have to get ready too," he suggested keeping his smirk from edging at her. It worked though because Claire's blue eyes focused in surprise.

Keeping her expression silent he chuckled down at the ground before she became irritated. Or at least pretended to be.

"It's my day off right? Let's go take a look around the city," he said looking at her expression changing. Surprised wasn't the best word more like suspicious.

"You want to go sightseeing?" She asked keeping her arms crossed over her chest suddenly. It was a nervous reflex she wasn't sure Hope picked up on yet.

He nodded before her expression softened as she asked him, "Alright where do you want to go?"

In response she got his back as he made his way inside their home.

"Why don't you take the lead on this one?" She heard him say before leaving her alone outside their balcony with strands of Hope's hair on the ground. Well played.

Sighing in content of her privacy she smiled at the floor. It had been a few months since they arrived here and all Hope ever had time for was work. Although to be frank that was the reason he was here to begin with. That and he didn't understand his abstinence to properly take care of himself when Hope was too stubborn to quit working at home even. That's where she came in.

Bending down on her knees she moved the chair to the side and folded the flattened out newspaper with Hope's hair strands inside and rolled it up inside a trash bag. Keeping the patio cleaned out she rested the tied up trash bag to the side and moved to the railing of the balcony. Keeping her eyes out to the viewpoint of the city she gazed at the skylines.

It was beautiful here, everything about this city seemed so surreal to her. The people were so accepting and friendly. The only downside perhaps was that she got to share her walks and detours around the place with Hope in very brief moments.

Moments. She almost forgot...that Serah.

Walking inside the house she made her way into her room neatly decorated and organized by necessities. She didn't pack much, most of her belongings she got here in Lyon. The side of her dresser furniture had a mirror and a few cosmetic accessories. She didn't really use them, but the small leather bound journal that was resting on top however was a different story.

It was funny when she thought about it. Ever since they were kids Claire and Serah Farron never agreed on anything without compromises. Maybe it was the older sister's stubbornness or perhaps it was the shorter sister's adamant attitude. Probably both reasons, but again stubbornness.

Claire remembered their sibling conversation back before they arrived in France. When she walked outside café she briefly owned with her phone conversation lasting longer than expected. They ended that conversations with two terms that consisted of their compromise. Firstly Serah would keep in touch and was free to ask anything on their stay in France. That wasn't much on Claire's part. The second term however was a little unexpected for the older sister.

"_You can't be serious." _

"_You lasted this long without being your old self don't start now," warned the younger sister. Wondering if perhaps Serah had taken advantage of their external form of communication a little too much Claire looked down at her phone. Pretending it was Serah she voiced her disapproval._

"_I don't understand how writing on a piece of paper will matter if I will be calling you a few times a mont-"_

"_Weekly," interrupted the younger sibling. Now Serah was double dipping._

_The older woman looked up from her phone before glancing across the closed door. She wondered if Hope was still there. _

"_Claire? Are you there?"_

_Keeping her attention back to her phone she pressed it in her ear, "Ok I'll try but trust me, after a few weeks you'll get bored and run out of things to talk about." _

_The other voice on the line laughed in reply, "We both know that's not true."_

_The older Farron kept her voice abrupt hoping she could end this. This conversation was supposed to be an impromptu heads up to get Serah ready on her decision to leave with Hope. They were going to discuss everything in perfect detail later this weekend. _

_Her little sister was still the same pushy girl that got Claire to agree to more than she wanted. _

"_Listen I'll talk to you later Serah, I promise we'll talk tomorrow okay?"_

… …

… …

"_Claire?" _

"_Yeah?"_

"_Nice try you're going to write on a journal and keep in touch. I'll talk to you tomorrow, love you sis!" Finished the younger voice before hearing the clicking noise. She hanged up on her._

That was that. The moment they landed in the city of Lyon she bought a journal. Every time she woke up early in the morning Claire would walk to the Le Rhone river walk that was outside her apartment. There was a nearby bench by the sidewalk pier, she loved the view early in the mornings. It was part of her morning ritual and it was a relaxing moment that was perfect to get her written ordeal over with. Today she had forgotten and three months ago she would have shrugged it off and copy an entry from before. If Serah would ask for the journal so what? The principle of the matter was Claire was mostly writing as promised.

She missed writing today because of Hope and although her excuse was legitimate a part of her surprised her. Secretly she was getting the hang of it and more importantly had plenty to write about.

Maybe later though because right now she could hear the sound of a door closing across her room. Hope was probably done with his quick shower. Perhaps later she would write in her journal.

* * *

She got ready in a few minutes and when she picked up her purse Claire stopped and thought back for a while. Making up her mind she went back to her dresser where she put back her journal and pushed it in her purse. When Claire left her room she saw Hope sitting on the couch away from her. Making her way straight past him to the kitchen she took out a water bottle from the fridge and turned to her partner. Ready to tell him where they were headed before her lips formed a thin line at the sight.

He was asleep. Today was the only day he'd had off this week and had spent longer nights at his job than usual. She always asked him how his work was going and he would always answer with one word responses. Claire had no reason to push the subject further especially when she knew Hope was probably working hard enough.

"_Maybe for a few minutes," _Claire thought drinking her water, eyes fixed on Hope. It was guilty habit time for her.

She never paid much attention to herself doing it, but somewhere along the way watching Hope sleep was a sight Claire never minded. Lightning didn't mind it either. In fact back to 'those' times she had watched the boy sleeping during one of their rest stops during their journey. That first time it happened Lightning didn't mind watching him because he was just a kid. Hope had a knack for throwing his emotions into fits back when he was child and no matter how hard the boy wished to pull a tough persona his sleeping form always brought comfort to her.

Maybe it was young innocents, except she continued to watch him through the endless time in Valhalla and that threw that theory out. Lightning the guardian of Etro watched everything and everyone down below and kept an even closer look to her friends and family.

She watched Hope graduate at the age of nineteen. Became the de facto leader of the academy when his father passed away. Then he grew up a few more years and her perception of him changed somehow. He wasn't a boy anymore. He was definitely a man, and perhaps even a different person now. Still even so Hope surprised her all the time. Finding the ruins of Paddra, knowing about the seeress, building an artificial Fal'Cie, building a planet, and all in the name of what? She was supposed to be the guardian of Etro, but Hope was the guardian of humanity. They never had the chance to talk to one another, but somehow they were always on the same page. His theories were always on spot and Serah along with Noel by her side followed his guidance to reach their journey. Lightning spent endless battles with Caius and was always tackling multiple challenges through her ordeals. Yet her partner didn't seem to slack off one bit. Hope had figured out how to build a time travel machine.

He took his assistant with him and travelled 500 years into the future in his build machine. Essentially it kept his body and mind intact in a resting stasis until the machine travel finished. In another words Hope was asleep when Lightning decided to finally talk to him. It was the only way she could do it, and perhaps it would have been nice to look at his eyes when she saw him up close. But neither could afford any time for that right now.

The grown up man that she had mentored all those years ago looked no different than the boy she protected in the vile peaks. He was safe and more importantly he didn't really change.

That's when Lightning realized that perhaps her interest in his sleeping form was more than symbolic. There was definitely something else to it. However at that time she needed to stay focus and give Hope a message. Let him know he was going the right path and try not to lose hope.

Here and now in a world where monsters and deities existed only in fantasies, Claire was the name she could call herself again. Lightning wasn't needed anymore, the only protection she could offer was to keep her focus on those that mattered. Yet through the second reunion with Hope she secretly watched his behavior. It had changed from before, Hope would keep his head in thought. Look around at things without reason. At one point she was worried.

He was on medications at least one prescription bottle she saw in his car a little over three months ago. In part she felt responsible for him. She brought up a long time ago the concept of being partners and kept him away for most of her battles. Here in this world Hope had figured out how to stand by himself and keep motivated. His work being whatever it was kept its importance to his life.

Then one day when Hope had showed her his home a few months ago something happened. She was just curious about the grandfather clock really. It looked nice and didn't seem right to stand there without fixing it. Hope admitted that he didn't really try fixing it and let her try to toy with it. It couldn't have been more than ten minutes before Claire had noticed that a gear in the back of the bezel had fallen off. She put the gear back in its place and was rewarded by a sudden chime from the clock.

She remembered looking back at Hope ready to scowl him when she heard the clock could make such a nice noise. Except he was sleeping and everything around her stopped.

The Hope she had watched over had returned. Almost childlike his head was resting on one arm of the couch while his face remained at peace. She remembered walking towards him and just watching him for a bit. Then she sat down next to him and continued her watch. Then Claire had closed her eyes briefly and heard him sleeping. After that everything went black and she woke up first when her head nudged on the wrong side of his shoulder.

She never brought that time up. In fact she remembered being angry with him when she woke him up that day. Now here she was looking at the same features from that evening on Hope's face. She looked at the grandfather clock they brought with them to France. It was on the corner of the living room where Hope was resting. It was a challenge to bring it over here. They had it shipped to the first place they were supposed to stay in France the weekend before they left the airport. Then had to bring it over here at this apartment complex after Hope had realized that the first place his work provided only had one bedroom. That was a pain for both of them.

A pain for Hope in finding a way to bring it here and a pain for Claire for feeling guilty of mentioning if they could bring the clock to France. She apologized multiple times and Hope always smiled back when he dismissed them.

Still it was a nice clock. It was almost nine in the morning, maybe she could give him a bit of time to rest. Perhaps now would be a good time catch up on her journal?

Looking down at the couch she walked beside the sleeping man and sat down with her purse in her lap. Getting out the journal and pen she quickly wrote her required entry. From time to time her gaze would look to her right side where Hope was still in fact asleep and she would continue scribbling down on the paper.

Everything was how it should be.

After a couple of blinks at the ceiling Hope's eyes focused properly.

"_Did I really fall asleep? My body was that tired?"_ He asked himself sitting up in the couch.

His eyes looked around and found the pink haired woman sitting down on the floor organizing pictures. Hope looked at the grandfather clock in the living room and saw it was a quarter past nine.

"Hey you're finally up," she interrupted keeping her gaze at the pictures she was grouping in stacks. Scooting over the other side of the couch Hope looked down at the pictures she was messing with.

"Places you visited here?" He asked looking over her shoulders. Claire looked up at him and smiled at a picture she had in her hand.

He saw the image of a steeped city with beautiful monuments. To say it wasn't a sight worth seeing would be a lie.

"Places I've visited and were going to see today," she said getting up from the floor. Hope copied her movements and lifted himself from the couch. Ready to go the man walked by the front door eagerly. Watching in amusement she lifted her gaze at him.

"You're going to have to save that enthusiasm for later, it's a twenty minute walk from here," she said teasingly lifting her purse beside her.

Hope shrugged in response. "I'll be fine. Where is it anyways?"

She stepped in the kitchen and reached for something in the fridge. "It's a quarter of La Croix-Rousse."

Walking next to him she handed him a water bottle. He took it and murmured a confused thanks. He wasn't thirsty yet. Something was up.

"Are you ready Hope?" She asked leading the way outside.

His expression changed to the confident researcher look and quickly made his way beside her.

"This will be fun."

"Hmm."

* * *

"_Oh god it's hot!"_

Hope walked mechanically down the slope of the streets of hotels and markets.

"_Why does the floor seem heavier when I walk?" _

They headed north from their place and kept their way straight through Quai Jean Moulin street for ten minutes. Then when they turned left for half a mile they passed the Opera de Lyon. Hope had finished half of his water by that time, with another ten minutes left to go.

Keeping his eyes at the people around him he saw the streets filled with merchants and a small children's festival in the park they managed to come by.

He was relieved when Claire stopped to see the attraction and let Hope catch his breath. Honestly researchers spent a lot of time walking in between stairs but his stamina was poor enough for him to notice. He thought he was in good health but the woman next to him who didn't slow down her pace nor ask for any breaks looked as cool and ready when she saw the puppet presentation come to a close.

"Ready to go?" She asked politely looking at him partially. The other attention she was giving was at the almost empty water bottle in his hand. Hope dismissed his legs aching wish and kept walking in front as Claire watched nonchalantly.

Another ten minutes and they were there at La Croix Rousse. Standing in the center of the city square was a few stone benches and a huge monument in front of them. Well there were buildings all over the place but this one place stood out more than anything.

Making no waste of the last of his water bottle he followed Claire as she guided him to a bench and gestured for a sit. He gratefully did so while the energetic woman kept standing. Keeping his eyes at the point of interest he looked up at Claire curiously.

"What is that place?"

"That's the Place des Terreaux it's the center piece of the city of Lyon. Where you're standing is the border of the four districts of the city." She said watching Hope gaze down at his feet.

"Is this where you took that picture?" Hope asked bending his knees back relaxing his feet on the pavement. Nodding in response she sat down next to him on the stone bench in silence.

It was nice here. He didn't spend much time out of his work facility and the casual strolls around his neighborhood with Claire. If he had to guess maybe twice did he ever leave the block around the apartment. They didn't have a car here, Hope left his BMW back at the airport where he got Snow to pick it up later.

Looking at the mostly empty square he noticed a few people taking pictures by a fountain that had statues of horses with a person on top of them holding their reigns. Keeping his attention at the fountain he felt a nudge at his side.

"Want to get closer?" She suggested keeping her feet on the ground more upright than usual. Hope nodded and they both made their way towards the fountain.

Up close Hope immediately noticed the detail of the statues, firstly the woman in control of the horses. At her side were what seemed like two children resting their heads on her.

Hope turned to Claire in wonder, "Is she a goddess or something?"

The ex-savior shook her head at him and reached for something in her purse.

"No not exactly. This is the Fountaine Bartholdi. For the locals the statue of that woman represents the nation's symbol of freedom. But I've also heard that she represent the Garonne River. You know which one it is?" Claire asked the man with a small camera in her hand.

Shrugging in return Hope listened for her response. He was hooked.

"It's a river which crosses the city of Bordeaux. The woman represents Garonne River and the four horses represent the four small streams that are led by her." Claire said keeping her eyes at the camera settings in front of her.

"I see then."

Before his friend could respond they were interrupted by a local who spoke French a little too quickly.

"Bonjour vous deux ressembles touristique. Aimeriez-vous pour moi de prendre une photo de vous deux?" The woman seemed to have asked keeping Hope guessing mostly. Looking at the better French speaker of the two Hope darted his eyebrows at Claire who seemed to be thinking something over.

Without explaining much the pink haired woman motioned Hope to follow her as they made their way in front of the statue. Right in between the horses Hope guessed at the lady with his friend's camera that it was picture time.

Following the lady's instructions he didn't understand he got closer to Claire and smiled happily as the flash from the camera caught his eyes. After a few pictures the lady looked down at the digital screen and nodded impressed.

Claire had gotten the camera back and nodded gratefully back. "Merci de bien vouloir madame," Claire spoke kindly which made the lady beam up at them.

"Pas de problème du tout . Outre touristique toujours nous demander de l'aide pour les habitants photos que vous êtes tous les deux un joli couple," she said looking at the two happily.

Keeping his head as straight as possible Hope smiled at every word, making it clear that he understood everything that was said. He would make sure to ask Claire what the lady told them later.

Waving goodbye the lady walked away politely.

"Profitez de votre séjour ici ."

Keeping his smile Hope looked at his partner who after their goodbye to the lady got closer to the statue, away from him.

"Hey Claire what did the lady say?" Hope asked walking over to her trying to look at her turned head.

The woman who looked too busy looking at the horses glanced at him sideways. "She said she takes pictures for tourist often here and hoped we enjoy our stay."

"Hmm." He replied walking casually at her right side noticing her face still studying the statues.

"That was very nice of her to do. She took a couple right?" Hope asked rubbing his right shoulder.

"W-what?"

Glaring back at him she turned fully to meet his face, a flushed expression made his eyes blink surprised.

"Uh a couple. She took a couple pictures of us right?" He repeated slowly watching her expression soften up.

"Oh. Yeah that was kind of her, here you can look at them." She said putting the camera in his hands. Keeping his eyes fixed at her weird reaction Hope slowly turned his attention to the camera. Pushing a few buttons on the side of the screen he opened up the gallery of the pictures she took. A lot of them were from different landscapes and buildings, probably from her solo visits around the city. The most recent pictures though were the only ones she stood with anybody beside her.

Keeping the picture open his eyes widened at it and self-consciously lifted his eyes to the woman who watched the statues again. He never saw her smile like that. He saw her smile at him and around others, but this woman in this picture was not the same person he knew.

"_She looked like a beauty model."_

That was the only thought he could express her perfect expression. In comparison Hope seemed like a happy guy who looked more lucky than anything. Well he was.

Shutting the camera off he gave it back to Claire who took it back wordlessly.

"You ready to go?" She asked keeping one hand on her hips attentively. Hope stared at the camera in her hand before answering.

"I want a copy."

"What?"

Keeping his eyes up clearly Hope smiled back. "I said I want a copy of our picture."

"Alright," she said after a pause pulling her shoulders back before walking again.

* * *

He wasn't afraid to admit that he felt foolish now. After spending most of the morning and some of the afternoon looking around markets and visiting the parks around the few blocks they walked, Hope understood why so many tourist came here. This place was perfection.

After a few miles of walking Hope would no longer be afraid to ask for a break and Claire would sit down with him and watch the people around. There were so many things to see here. Every alley in the city was packed with tourist and people who went about their errands. But there were also musicians, poets, and artist that looked around eagerly for any nearby passing visitors to show off their work.

In their day so far Hope had gotten used to the weather and managed to take shorter breaks as he went on. As always Claire looked as fresh and active as she was this morning. A little jealous perhaps but he understood she put in the time to exercise her stamina. Maybe he should try to as well.

Still sitting down at a bench Hope leaned a hand on one knee and looked at the woman in question.

"Hey Claire?" He asked as the pair of cerulean eyes that belonged to the woman focused on him.

"Yes?"

"You go on runs sometimes in the morning's right?" He asked remembering her wake up calls from hearing the showers turn on early in the mornings.

"Sometimes, not as much anymore. I do it in the evenings though," she said as one of her hands tucked a side of her pink hair strand behind an ear.

"I was thinking…" he started looking at the ground not understanding why this felt harder to ask.

Keeping his eyes glazed at his feet he sighed at his weakness. "I've slowed us down a lot today, sorry."

Claire's eyes shot back at him confusingly before she spoke, a little more serious than usual.

"We aren't running from something Hope. We're looking around the city, you don't need to apologize for that." She said sounding more commanding than suggestive.

Meeting her face again he felt his nervous laugh come out in instinct. "Yeah but I'm terrible at keeping up with you."

The look of her eyes suggested shock, but after a few seconds they hardened up and for a moment Hope was scared.

Making her body turn to him fully from their sitting position Hope followed her eyes at him. He didn't feel like getting yelled at or laughed at right now, but the body language she was showing was hard to read.

"You're not the one trying to catch up Hope," she spoke softly surprising him extensively.

Feeling his gut feel better from the worry that rested a few moments ago he looked at her puzzled. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Claire showed her lips tug briefly as her eyes looked to the side momentarily. This was the second time he'd ever seen her look so decisive.

"It means what it sounds like," she stated looking at him again a little less hesitant.

Keeping his head in disbelief a thought came to him before it quickly faded at the humor behind it.

"_It means what? That she's trying to catch up to me_?"

Good one. His emerald eyes flashed away at her before he saw her smile at him. He stood still when he felt her finger at his forehead and just like after his haircut no flicking this time.

"Don't count yourself short Hope."

Feeling her response made him feel lighter for some reason. After what felt like a long moment her pressed finger at him retracted and the cool touch went away. Grudgingly.

Keeping his eyes up at sky he attempted another shot.

"Whenever I'm not busy and you're not in the middle of one…can I join your runs?"

Not bothering to look at those blue orbs again he heard her voice instead.

"Now you're talking."

**Author's Notes: Not much to say on this one. I think the chapter speaks plenty for itself. I really enjoyed the setting for this story a little too much. But its France after all so what can I say? Other than the usual thanks I'm glad to see everybody following my story. Just wanted to point out that the flashbacks between the years are not always going to show up. The chapters I've written all have a certain point they are supposed to make. Sometimes a flashback will be brought up sometimes it will be just a certain point in time. It all depends. Anyways stay tune for more and if you have any comments you'd like to make feel free. Until then!**


	4. A few more things to look forward to

**Author's Notes: Sorry for changing up the layout on top for my notes. Just wanted to say this is where I really enjoy the progression of this story. Not going to say much more, but I hope you enjoy this chapter. See you soon!**

* * *

"_**That went well. A microcosm of culinary delight did he say? That sounds rather tasty to me. Was it as good as he said?"**_

"_**Want me to pick you up some take-out?"**_

"_**You know what I'd prefer over that? If sometime, you made me one of your specialty dishes." **_

"_**I haven't spent much time in kitchens, but if you want something off a campfire grill, maybe I could rustle something up. I was never as good a cook as Serah but I have been told that I grill a pretty mean behemoth steak."**_

**\- Hope and Lightning from Lightning Returns (Family Food Side Quest)**

He knew it was too good to be true. Whatever false hope he had of getting through a perfect day without a phone call from work lasted longer than he expected. About an hour ago Roger had called him up and in typical fashion lingered about what was wrong and how Gale's stubbornness made things worse. Hope didn't hesitate when he assured his colleague he was on his way shortly.

Parting ways Hope went back home from where he would walk to his job which was a few minutes away. Claire remained at the park square to run some errands. The moment he stepped into the facility he already figured out the main purpose behind the call. People pacing through the lobby of the first floor a few receptionist answering phone calls as they filled paperwork. More importantly he noticed the unusual amount of people in suits. Board of directors meeting. Hope's favorite time of the month.

Sneaking around the crowd of the higher ups and nervous interns, Hope made his way towards the double hallways leading to the elevators. The young man content with avoiding any attention pushed the elevator button as he silently watched his reflection on the doors. His hair looked much cleaner now Hope made a mental note to thank Claire again. After reaching the sixth floor of the facility the young researcher made his way through the left wing of the lab stations. Reaching room twenty-two he slid his key card and made his way inside.

"Hope you made it!" Exclaimed his usually reserved teammate. Roger walked over to Hope and extending his hand appreciatively. Clearly out of character the platinum haired man looked at Roger quizzically.

"Roger." Hope greeted with a handshake. "What's going on are you guys in trouble?" Hope asked looking up ahead at the prototype in its chamber.

Hearing a voice beside him as well as feeling a pat in the back made Hope turn to Gale, who looked as relieved as Roger.

"Define trouble Hope."

Nodding knowingly he crossed his arms at his team. "Well considering your referring me by my first name Gale I'd imagine the lab to be blown up in pieces."

Laughing at the sarcasm Hope seemed to embrace in the last few months Roger and Gale pointed at him.

"Actually Hope we're perfectly fine. And no there is no real emergency either," Gale assured looking at Hope's twitch at his last words.

"_No real emergency? Why the hell did they call me if-"_

Sheepishly Roger butt in, "We're sorry Hope. Honestly we are, but we really needed you to be here today."

Keeping his face cool Hope nodded slowly looking around the lab at the empty chairs. That's right usually there would be at least three or four assistants helping his trio with work. It was just them today though. Weird.

As if reading his mind Gale finally shrugged at him, "It's not a joke. To be honest you may not be happy with what we're fixing to tell you."

Now confused the man looked at the two researchers who kept their faces neutral despite the slight smirk on Gale's face.

"You probably guessed from your way over here that we have our favorite visitors today," Gale said rolling his eyes. Hope nodded in response keeping his voice muted.

Avoiding his eyes Gale looked instead to his friend beside him. "Roger over here got the news before I did actually."

Giving the shorter black haired man his full attention Hope reserved his questions for later. The quiet member of the group looked up at Hope comfortably. Smiling slowly as he opened his mouth.

"They want you to be our director Hope."

Maybe he should have said something. Perhaps he should have smiled or laughed, heck yell even. Instead he pressed his lips understandingly and asked if that was all. Leaving his team in concern, Hope went back downstairs with a rush of thoughts bouncing off his head.

Perhaps later he would have his proper meltdown, right now he was hungry. After leaving the facility he walked across the road towards his home when another thought kicked in. Not a work related one.

Stopping in his tracks and looking at the view of his place up ahead Hope bit his lower lip in deep concentration before looking at his watch.

"_Three thirty-five. I am starving after all." _

Reaching for his phone he unlocked it and dialed the number of his first contact. Hearing the line connect the voice of the usually calm woman answered.

"Hey it's me. Are you still shopping?"

Hope heard her reply in small pauses between words. "No I just got home. Munching on some celery, how's work treating you?"

Making way for the jogging man with his dog on a leash Hope retreated into the grassy side of the sidewalk. "Yeah it's fine, I'm actually coming home right now. So you're eating huh?"

"Yup. Well it's just a snack, going to make soup later," Claire said hearing her munching noise again.

Returning his direction to his home Hope answered back. "How about you save that soup for later. I'm hungry enough for dinner. How about we go out some place?" Keeping his voice as casual as possible Hope nudged his neck.

Hearing a sigh Claire kept her voice sternly. "Afraid of my cooking huh? I brought the usual burn proof food from the store," she responded hearing her partner laugh at that.

"No such thing, besides I really want to repay you for my haircut. I'm already on my way home, we'll think of some place to go when I arrive," Hope suggested crossing the sidewalk.

He could tell she was hesitating, Claire always growled when she did so. Finally after a while she spoke up again ready to opt for home cooking. Hope knew she just really wanted to get some practice on her cooking skills, even if she was stubbornly hungry like him.

"Hope maybe some other time. Just get home and I'll-"

"_Time to use my ace in the hole."_

Keeping his sigh as genuine as possible Hope replied disappointed. "I see then. I guess we'll have to try out that steakhouse across La Bourse some other time."

Now he waited.

"Steakhouse Hope?" She chimed in quickly. "I didn't know there were any around here."

Now arriving at Quai Jules Courmont Hope made his way across the twin apartments ahead. "It's settled then. I'm already on my way."

He wondered if hanging up that way was wise. Hope was fixing to find out shortly but maybe he would catch a break. Maybe.

* * *

After their fourth month here in Lyon a couple of things had changed. As the director of the branch of R&amp;E Hope dedicated most afternoons to work. Pleasant flip side to all this? Free weekends. Naturally he would have more paperwork though. Usually he would bring it home and finish it in the living room.

In the four weeks that had passed his routines changed slightly. For starters morning runs with Claire helped as a stress reliever, even if the waking up early part still sucked. After breakfast they would part ways. Hope with his job and Claire with hers. She had started working at a coffee shop across the bridge of the Le Rhone riverwalk.

Rinse and repeat for most days. However every other weekend they dined out together. Ever since they entered the steakhouse a month ago they had set up this arrangement.

It wasn't anything too crazy. Just tried a new place and ate together. This city didn't disappoint on that aspect. Hope's calendar in his room had been marked almost consecutively and during small breaks he would keep mental notes from people at work that suggested good food spots to check out. Honestly despite the extra paperwork things were coming along fine.

Four months without incidents.

Then one day Hope heard a loud thud outside his room. Hope sat up from his corner desk and headed out to investigate the noise. Outside his room in the hallway he didn't see anybody. He made his way across the living room to the presence of silence. He opened the square glassed doors to the balcony outside and found nobody. Hope hummed in response as he made his way back inside.

Knowing that Claire was home he strolled into the kitchen where a half-eaten sandwich rested on a plate on top of the kitchen table. Beside it was the cordless home phone. Walking up to it he reached for it and placed it in its docking station across the living room table. Confused Hope looked around emptily. There was only one spot unchecked.

Walking gingerly back to the hallway he stood outside Claire's bedroom door. Knocking gently he waited for a response.

Nothing. He knocked a little harder this time before getting the same results. Feeling smaller than he was Hope on instinct pressed his right ear to the door. He definitely heard something. He made a vocal attempt.

"Hey Claire just checking on you. I heard a loud noise from my room…just wanted to check and stuff," Hope said running out of words. It was a strange old habit he thought he'd gotten rid of when he used to get nervous.

To his surprise he heard her response. A weakly one. "I'm fine Hope sorry about slamming my door."

At the sound of her defeated voice his hands already twisted the knob open surprisingly. Looking around his eyes found her backed up against her head bed post hugging her knees in thought.

Her gaze only lifted at him slightly. "I didn't say you could come in."

Feeling embarrassed with his rashness Hope refused to look anywhere but her. Technically this was her private room and he was too absent minded to care a second ago.

She was dressed in her usual work attire. Black slacks and white top with her usual navy overcoat hanging on the corner of her bed post.

"Sorry, I was worried," Hope said admittedly putting his hands in his pockets.

Not responding back she resumed her stance.

"I'll be out in a bit Hope. Sorry for the worry, I'm fine."

This was the part where he was supposed to sit down and make her talk. Instead he nodded his head and replied back quietly he would be in his room if she needed him. So much for that.

After about half an hour later Hope analyzed his finished work for the sixth time. He was a stickler for quality assurance. He had to be, especially with his new job as director.

There were a lot of things on his mind. Almost exclusively most revolved around the woman next door. He knew better than to doubt, but he was only human after all.

"_She probably left work and finally got fed up. Maybe all these times she had been here with me…had made her realized she'd missed seeing Serah. Now Claire has made herself tired of all this. Tired of me."_

Yup. Hope was having a semi nervous meltdown. If it wasn't for the small ingrained part of his soul that hated his guts Hope would have gone full throttle. Except he liked proving his conscience wrong too much.

So he kept his face from blowing up. Instead remained calm and rested his head for a bit. His head lifted from the pillow in his head. He looked across the drawer of his desk.

How long had it been since he took his medication? Right. He hadn't. Not since arriving in France. For the most part the stress and the 'memories' of those dark times had gone away mostly thanks to person he was afraid to lose.

Hope was scared. Not just because of the fact his best friend was acting strange. But because a few months have made him dependent on a dosage he couldn't afford to quit taking.

Feeling his breathing slowing down his forced shut eyes finally won over their battle. He was tired slightly anyways so Hope let sleep get the better of him.

The alarm clock next to him now read 6:40 pm which suggested he had fallen asleep for twenty minutes. His body argued that he'd just blinked for a few seconds. Rolling his head to the other side he noticed the covers over him. They were scrunched up on the other end of the bed when he'd fallen asleep. His room had been darkened considerably due to sunset. His two back windows were dimmed by the blinds even still.

Until he noticed a sound of soft breathing. Looking down across his bedroom Hope noticed the chair that usually rested by his small corner desk was prompted over beside him. With a light sleeper sitting on it.

Hope didn't know how to approach this. He wanted to wake her up ask what was wrong. Apologize if necessary. Instead he sat up in his bed and watched her.

There were a lot of things he sucked at. A lot of things. One of which was returning favors. Even if she was Lightning then, or rather Light as he called her as a boy; they had made a promise. If they had signed a contract on it she could have sued him for not holding his end of the bargain.

How much had she'd sacrificed to keep her friends alive? To keep him safe? Maybe Claire was a worker at a coffee shop, but in her previous life she had been a guardian and a savior. Defeated Gods and slayed beast.

So why was it that three feet away, resting without monsters or creatures to worry about… Hope still couldn't keep her safe?

Setting his bare feet on the cold floor Hope hunched over to the pink haired woman's chair. Planning on waking her up his body tensed up the moment he got inches away from touching her. It was so strange to him how the last few weeks had been nothing but weird emotions. It was subtle at first. Making eye contact with her was getting much more difficult now.

Hope wasn't sure why his usual interactions with her seemed harder now, but he tried to overcome whatever strange feeling his gut had.

"Hey Claire?" Nothing. His right hand went for one of her shoulder when it met her face. Truth be told it was her fault. What happened next probably was his.

She shifted her head before he reached her shoulder and now his positioned hand was essentially holding her face. His hand felt like it was glued in place and the fear of her waking up in a terrible assumption and his terrible reaction timing was a factor Hope didn't want to experience.

Surprisingly enough though Claire didn't move. Keeping his wits Hope gently lifted her face back in hope that she would auto position herself. Hope's plan worked and the woman locked her head on the back of her chair before Hope realized her eyes were staring at him.

Keeping his breathing still Hope prepared himself for the worst case scenario and wondered if her powerful strength carried over in this life.

Until he heard her voice, softer than the one he heard in her room. "Why do you always do that?"

Stunned at her question Hope's eyebrows lifted up and watched her slowly get up from her chair. Looking down at his sitting position she put a hand to her neck.

"You know I can't hurt you right?" She asked commandingly. "I wasn't…you feel asleep. In my room…my hand-I just wanted to-"Hope mumbled in explanation.

Watching her turn to the door Hope opened his mouth wanting to apologize. Instead he kept his gaped mouth quiet when Claire told him to meet her in the living room.

* * *

When he made his way into the lid up room Hope positioned himself in the couch wordlessly. Claire was already sitting down looking down at the floor in thought. When she didn't acknowledge him Hope started first.

Feeling a little nervous again Hope gazed up at her before starting his session of apologies.

"Claire listen I-"

"Serah's pregnant," she interrupted keeping her gaze at the floor. Feeling a rush of confusion through his mind Hope looked up at her fully. Her face was turned down so whatever emotions she had were veiled.

Swallowing down at his dry mouth Hope kept his expression more relieved now. For her concerns not being about him. Selfish maybe, but this was good news anyways.

"Really? How long?" Hope asked watching her move around slightly. Claire's eyes were more visible now.

"Three months."

Hope crossed his arms at her concern. "I see then."

Serah had committed to calling her older sister every week since their stay here. Usually she would call on the weekends and up until his new job title Hope had never gotten the chance to talk to her on the phone either. With his weekends being usually free now, Hope had managed to have short conversations with Serah for the past couple of weeks. Never once mentioned anything about being pregnant though.

Then a sudden thought rushes his head and Hope asks her. "Is Serah doing alright? Snow is still-"

"They're both fine," Claire says looking at him for the first time since Hope sat down.

With a sigh of relief Hope's mind gets cleared of the worst case scenario unwillingly acknowledging that his partner's behavior still didn't add up. Then it hits him.

"So are you mad at her for not telling you soon?" Hope asks gently trying to meet her eyes without tensing up too much. Her blue eyes blink in response and for a moment Hope thinks this was the first time she thought of that.

"Actually yeah. A little." Her eyes scrunch up in thought and for a second Hope thinks about laughing at her reaction. His mind wouldn't allow it though, it was already moving gears ahead of him and clearly it didn't figure out his friend's behavior. Then another idea rushes in his head and this time Hope is sure he figured her out.

Scooting closer to her just a bit Hope keeps their eye contact before carefully making his point across.

"You need to go back and see her soon." Hope says trying to copy her commanding tone. He knows he failed, but her face softens up regardless. Silently she moves her eyes to the side before Hope figures out this thought too didn't rush to her until know. Had he put more thought into Serah's pregnancy than her own sister?

Maybe his patience was thinning out because he was so worried about her. It had been years since he had to play guessing games with people. Yet no matter how hard he tried sounding as sincere and caring the next words out of his mouth came too harsh.

"Claire what's going on with you?"

Might as well had yelled at her. Her expression is in front of him now. Completely vivid and annoyed. Keeping his eyes at her Hope watches for her response.

Relaxing his face he does the only thing he can do without ruining things further with words. He stares at her. At first he felt completely ridiculous because 'A' she was ticked and 'B' he was scared. Usually not the best way to clash feelings.

Then he sees her lips form a thin line and her eyes flutter in a relaxing motion. Hearing her sigh she gets up and charmingly end their conversation.

"Who knows Hope? Maybe the start of that time of the month."

When Claire got up and started walking his body reacted without permission. Desperation? He didn't think so.

"_What am I doing?"_

It started with his hand reaching out for one of hers. When their hands met his body lifted itself from the couch. Before letting her escape or shoving his hand away Hope embraced her tightly. This only made him more scared at the reminder of what a light push of his shoulder felt like from her back when Hope showed Claire his place back in his old home.

His mind still working nonstop reminds him of something else. Something that didn't dawn on him until now that he was doing the act.

This was the first time they ever hugged wasn't it? In this new world despite their two encounters neither had actually embraced one another. Well perhaps it required two people to agree to embrace to formally call it a hug.

But in the old world Light certainly didn't ask for his permission.

Feeling like aging seconds going by Hope listens to her disgruntled tone from her head pressed forcibly to his chest.

"Hey Hope what are you-" whatever else she said was muffled into his chest. His hand pressing her head gently, knowing fully aware that if she wasn't in shock Claire could power out whenever.

Until he feels her head trying to move up and look up at him. Feeling tenser at the thought of her stare Hope leans his head instead over her shoulder. He tried talking one more time.

"I'm not a child anymore. You and I promised to watch over each other, and I don't intend on letting go until you tell me what's wrong." Hope's words came out much more soothing than before and in reward she stops moving.

"Hope..."

"Yeah?" He asked looking down at her. Until she made a hand push back against his chest.

"It's hard to breathe this way," Claire said feeling an instant release of her head.

"Oh damn I'm sorry Light." Hope apologized keeping his face from being too dumbfounded. Still embraced she looked up at him quizzically.

Stretching an eyebrow at him she kept her silence intact. Feeling a little out of place Hope retreated back with his hands in his pockets. Her look was giving him the weird feelings again.

Trying one last time Hope grunted his insecurities away. Tried giving his voice the usual calm and reasonable tone one more time.

"We're partners right? S-so if something is bothering you it's my job to try to help," Hope said only faltering once. He continued on before a hand rested on his shoulder.

Meeting her cerulean eyes Hope saw himself in them again.

"I know. Truth is I don't know what's wrong," she said keeping her expression much warmer. Nodding his head at her progress he kept reaching for more. It took a while for her to get his silence for Claire to continue.

Not used to it she narrowed her eyes at him. Certainly not something the younger boy used to do, this older Hope was very pushy. Whether she liked that trait or not her mouth opened up eagerly again.

"I feel like I failed her somehow."

Seeing Hope's emerald eyes get wider at this Claire understood she got the point across. Now it was time to head on bac-

"In what way?" Hope interrupted. Still persistently focused on the subject her eyes went back up at him. Doesn't know when to give up huh?

Pausing at the question she answered him quietly. Thinking about it her heart was pounding the same question.

"Well I…I'm her older sister. Even if she argues I'm always right," she insisted keeping her arms crossed around her chest. Something about his eyes suggested that Hope was thinking ahead of her.

"_Has he always been this adept?"_

"Did you two get into an argument?" Hope asked searching for more out of her, more calmly now. Claire shook her head sternly. A pregnant little sister wasn't going to get scolded.

"_Married."_ She corrected herself. _"My married little sister was having a baby soon. My little sister not me. Wait what? Oh no."_ Her thoughts betrayed her before Claire realized Hope had asked her another question.

"_No. That can't be it. I'm not-she's my sister how could I be upset that-"_

"Snow?" He asked again. Mentally checking out Claire looked back at Hope confused. Clearly not listening anymore.

Tugging at his head Hope tried again. "Did you get in an argument with Snow?"

Repeating her response from before Claire cringed at the nail in the coffin realization. Of all people Snow…it was like asking the most annoying person you knew to join your team. Except it was now a reality and soon a little Snow offspring was going to be out in the wild.

"_I hope it's a girl,"_ she thought casting away the notion of not judging about gender preferences. Another small Snow was not going to bode well with her. So what if she was stubborn the guy really got on her nerves.

Hearing a small sigh out of Hope Claire looked back at him again. Clearly exhausted he rested his head behind his hands.

"Well I'm done playing detective."

Nodding at him she couldn't help but smile. Her admiration for him had gone up. Nobody had lasted this long trying to figure…well her out honestly. Not even Serah. Actually Serah would purposely walk away and calmly come back half an hour later and ask if everything was fine again. It was an older sister tradition that Claire would never give up. Being older meant being the one to set the examples.

Claire Farron had kept Serah from falling into the wrong crowds during middle school. Went shopping with her in Bodhum whenever Lightning wasn't busy being a stoic soldier. Watched over her when high school drama ensued. Was the shoulder to lean on when Serah cried about boys being stupid. Everything Claire did for her younger sister was because she was the protector that knew everything.

"Serah is married now and expecting a baby soon. What experience do I have in that?" She asked herself. Feeling a sudden irk Claire heard the man's voice interrupt her thoughts.

"You don't yet. Is that why you're upset Claire?" He asked making her heart reach the apex of heartbeats.

"_Did I say that out loud!?"_

No this wasn't happening. In her frustration she felt her neck start to warm up knowing that her face was next. This couldn't get any worse.

Hope just watched her silently. Expecting a reaction out of him Claire rubbed her forehead making the last ditch effort to control her headache…and the blushing.

"Hmm." Hope put in his two cents before leaving her in the living room. Completely dumbfounded now Claire took the opportunity to lunge for the patio or better yet leave the apartment for a run or something.

Until she heard his footsteps again leading to the living room. Thankfully her warm face was cooling off now only feeling her cheeks slightly mild. Hope was in front of her again with a calendar and a pen.

"You said she was three months pregnant correct? So that means we have a good three to four months before she can no longer safely travel," Hope said handing the calendar and pen over.

Looking down at the current month of August Claire looked at some of the circled dates. This was Hope's calendar. Still confused she looked up at him.

"What are you getting at Hope. You want me to go see her?"

Seeing his expression change to a smirk he shook his head.

"No I want to see her and Snow too. We should invite them to come over."

Oh God no! Bad idea, terrible idea. She didn't want her future niece or nephew to have a fatherless life.

Seeing the conflict in her Hope laughed for the first time today. Feeling slightly agitated she opened her mouth to protest. Until he reached for her hand to sit down with him and wordlessly they both took a sit. That easy.

"They have to spend a few weeks with us at the least. I'll work ahead and make sure to schedule myself to be more at home too," he insisted keeping his eyes glued on his phone. She watching him rearrange things in his planner through his phone and a small smile escaped her. From this point of view he looked like the excited older sibling she was supposed to be.

Feeling a small tug of irritation at herself the pessimist in her asked away. "Hope where are they going to sleep? We are going to have to prepare a lot more than you think."

Barely looking up Hope looked at the floor then a few seconds later went back to his phone. Making Claire once again surprised that his mind really did have answers for everything.

"You choose Claire. Either you and Serah share rooms and Snow does so with me or…"

"Or what?" She asked suddenly watching his expression change uncomfortably. "Or they can share the apartment my job paid for. One bedroom is perfect for them."

Ready for another excuse she followed involuntarily, "You still have that place to yourself?"

"Technically yes. I never reported it to HR so beside the fruit flies in the welcoming basket the place should be good as new." He said looking at her amused.

She lost this one. Looking back at the calendar she lifted the pen in thought.

"I…I have to check with Serah first. She has a business to run you know." Claire added with the omission of the other person involved in the trip. Reaching for the phone in the living room table Hope handed it over to her.

"Sure. I don't see how seeing her sister and getting practically a fully paid vacation to France is something Serah is going to pass away though," Hope chimed in hearing Claire dial away.

"Yeah well have you seen Snow eat?" She asked putting the phone to her ear.

Chuckling at the reminder Hope looked back amusingly. "I lived with them for a while you know."

Waiting for Claire to respond back Hope heard her irritation come back.

"Tch…Hope here," she replied handing the phone over. Her face looked like she was contemplated something. Confused Hope took the phone and wondered why Serah was a challenge to call. Until he heard a man's voice on the line.

"Hey who's this?! Its three in the morning I-sorry babe….no go back to sleep Serah. Some jackass is probably prank calling us."

"_Seven hour difference in time…right."_ Hope thought looking back at his watch.

"Hey Snow it's me, Hope."

"Hope? Hey man what's up kinda early for a chat no?" Replied the energized man groggily.

Muffling his laugh Hope shook his head, "Sorry about that I forget that your time zone is different. But I'm running out of time and I need your response quickly on this."

Acting more abrupt Hope proposed the idea of the invitation in a form of a vacation. Hope was sure this was how salespeople acted.

Perhaps too tired or maybe too out of it the loud man replied willingly.

"Yeah that sounds good, it would be nice to have a final relaxing moment before the baby arrives," Snow said quietly. Thankfully not on speaker phone Hope looked at the older Farron sister watching his conversation.

Hope wasn't sure why Claire was so out of it a moment ago. But he saw her face when she mentioned her sister going through marriage and now motherhood. The way she said it made him think that perhaps Claire was disappointed. Not at Serah, but herself. This was just a guess and Hope didn't want to ask that question. Asking her if she was jealous was a risky and downright stupid thing to do. Unlike Snow he had a filter.

"Alright then if you're on board then I'll start making plans to set up a date. Okay then we're good to go. Thanks Snow and congratulations about your baby. I uh-yeah of course I will. Okay good night-err morning I guess, sorry for the late call again."

Hanging up Hope put the phone back to charge and looked at Claire expectantly.

"Alright that's settled then. Now we have to figure out a date for them to come over," Hope said scooting over to her to see her progress. She was still in the month of August and he watched her quizzically look at him.

"You wrote 'night out' in all these dates?" She asked pointing to the circled Saturdays. The ones they would go out and eat together.

"Yes. That's the whole point of a calendar," Hope responded feeling a tad bit defensive.

"It's the same day every week, how can you forget?" She asked obviously not letting it go. In retrospect Hope should have probably said nothing at that point and let it go. But he just solved a difficult mystery and his ego probably didn't shy away at this.

"Have you seen the other dates I've marked?" He asked finally.

She nodded her head before he continued.

"Have you read what they're about? It's all work related, I think I wrote down formulas even." Hope said looking down at the calendar grudgingly. Like it did something wrong to him.

Clearly though judging from her expression she didn't get where he was going with all this. Choosing to point at the 'night out' dates he sounded less annoyed.

"These are all I have to look forward to you know," Hope said feeling himself cringe at the sudden embarrassment. He was so pathetic sometimes.

"I see then." Claire said looking down at the calendar again. Forcing his face from turning red Hope leaned back on the couch ready to change the subject to the Serah and Snow vacation planning. Until he heard scribbling noises that made him turn his attention to her.

Seeing the Saturdays 'night out' circled dates along with the newly formed circled around Sundays, Hope blinked in response. They read the same as the Saturdays reminders.

Claire turned to a few months ahead and looked at him.

"So what dates do you have in mind?"


	5. Too stubborn to say it

**Author's Notes: Thank you for your patience and reviews. I do read them and I'm flattered at the positive feedback. I've been a little quiet lately because I'm going to be honest here, I finished the story about a month ago. I just want to make sure I space them out the way I feel is necessary. But more importantly than that I wanted to apologize about something I didn't address properly. I've been receiving a lot of private messages about my continuation about "The Bond That Ties Us Together" because I put the words 'to be continued' at the end. I have the story as complete because its done this story right here is the sequel. I did so with the purpose of dividing the story by a theme that I'm trying to set up. I may go back and write an update note on my first story to clarify, but again I apologize for any confusion. In the meantime I hope you enjoy this chapter, and I'm sure I'll get a lot of happy campers on board. Thanks again and I'll see you all soon!**

_**"Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: You don't give up."**_

_** -Anne Lamott**_

"_Shit I'm late!" _

Picking up the pace the moment he stepped out of the elevator Hope kept his head down to avoid the usual distractions. Reading his wrist watch he counted a quarter past eight a whole fifteen minutes late as it was. Finally reaching the corridor that led to the left wing of lab stations, he reached for his card key from one of his lab coat pockets only to jiggle around spare change.

"_Wonderful. Left my card on a different coat at home,"_ Hope thought kicking himself mentally before he noticed a pair of eyes studying him. It was one of his newly assigned teammates. Hope didn't bother remembering all the people that were enlisted on his research team, as director he had Gale do most of the decisions. Hope was just the first to blame for anything bad that happened. A fair deal.

Quickly realizing the bald man in a bizarre brown sports coat, also known as executive vice president of research development Patrice Giroud. Hope was outside looking in and an idea popped in his head as the woman beside him spoke.

He calmly faced his colleague as convincing as a director could be. A role he played once before Hope might add. Still something about this woman seemed off. Like he knew her from somewhere.

Her short blonde hair meeting the height of her ears while remaining a professional look of experience mostly displayed through her blue eyes.

Lost in thought he heard her raise her voice slightly, a bit too surprising considering he was technically her boss.

"Director are you listening?" She asked keeping her hands folded around her chest. Keeping himself from staying unresponsive he politely smiled back. This could work to his advantage.

"I'm sorry about that. But you don't have to feel too bad I was testing you," Hope lied keeping his assuring act going. He saw the shorter woman blink in response before he noticed the badge dangling on her right lab coat pocket. Perhaps he would be more convincing if he actually pretended to know her name.

"_Alyssa Zaidalle."_ Hope repeated in his head ready to memorize it for the next few minutes. Finding the right time to add on to his scheme of boss to peer evaluation he noticed Alyssa's eyes bore back at him. Skeptically.

"You know I don't really enjoy being lied to sir," she said putting her hands inside her lab coat hastily. Hope didn't show any signs of flinching or distress. "Actually a part of me wonders if you even knew who I was till now." Alyssa said gazing back inside the see through lab.

"_Seventeen minutes late…Hope."_

Following her gesture he gazed inside the lab with Mr. Giroud already making his runs around the lab probably asking his usual questions of progress. Maybe Hope could pull this one off. He tried again.

"Not sure who told you it would be wise to confront your own boss, but if you're honest about your doubts I'll assure you again." Hope finished while remaining his eyes at the lab station. He heard a sigh coming out of her. Before he heard a clicking noise emitted from Alyssa's card key.

"Shall we?Sir? She added keeping her face as calmly as his. Hope nodded back.

After the first wave of questions from Mr. Giroud Hope felt more relaxed at the positive feedback he was able to give the man. Until of course that 'one' question was asked of course.

"So its not actually ready then?" The man asked writing feverishly in his clip board. Hope burrowed his eyebrows at the bluntness a bit caught off guard. But before Hope could speak Roger interrupted.

"It's in its second phase of test trials, Director Hope insisted that we make sure the energy source could stabilize for more than a few moments." Roger kept his nice professional stack of results in front of Mr. Giroud for follow up questions.

Instead however of picking up the paperwork and analyzing the data Mr. Giroud simply turned to Hope again. "And what were your results Director?"

Nodding with assurance Hope spoke up, "So far we've not only stabilized the energy for weeks on end, but we have also managed to manipulate the amount of energy in direct interval notation."

There was a pause before Mr. Giroud said anything. Keeping his attention at the sealed test energy he chuckled suddenly.

"Are you usually this apprehensive son?" The man asked keeping his clip board tucked under his left arm.

Hope didn't reply as quickly. He was too busy wondering if the man who just called him 'son' knew anything about safe regulations or science curriculum 101. Always check your work before chancing upon hope it will work. Oddly enough though the young director didn't have to explain himself because the assistant Hope had met beat him to it.

The startled look of Mr. Giroud was priceless. A good one foot shorter than him yet Alyssa managed to appear just as superior as anybody in the room.

"Well sir if you want to increase our budget perhaps we can but apprehension to the side," suggested Alyssa resting a hand in her chin. After she looked back at Hope by her side she snapped her fingers as if remembering something.

"You know what? Out of not even six hundred thousand euros to spare and the results given to you in such quickened pace, I would have hoped the vice president of R&amp;D could have appreciate such dedication." Alyssa turned back to Hope with both hands on her hips with a polite smile, "Isn't that right Director?"

The room suddenly felt quieter and out of the corner of his right eye Hope saw the researchers all digging their heads behind computers and spreadsheets. Yet a very staggering silence proved that Hope's conversation was the focal point of the room.

Perhaps beside himself Hope shook his head gently at her. "Alyssa that is not for us to decide what does or doesn't get funded. Our work here is motivated by the drive of creating a new source of energy that mankind has never seen before."

Hope didn't sound too stern though and in return she only nodded back in response. Before Hope could speak again he was interrupted by the older executive member. A look of annoyance was still present, but Hope couldn't help but notice the eagerness showing in his expression. Fueled by greed no less perhaps.

"Is that so? Well if your excuses are that you need more funds then I will gladly provide them. Of course though-" the man stopped his glance to Alyssa for a brief moment before turning his attention back at Hope.

"Your results will have to far more interesting than a glass with light," teased Mr. Giroud putting a hand on Hope's shoulder.

"Well Director I'm sure you won't fail me. It would be nice to have you and your busy bees in the lab report again in three weeks' time," said the man turning around as he spoke. Showing no signs to say further goodbyes to anyone Mr. Giroud left leaving the lab.

Hope stood by his desk quietly thinking about the predicament he'd gotten himself into.

"_No. The predicament she put me into,"_ thought Hope turning his attention to Gale who was too busy recording the wavelengths of the sub rays emitted from the energy source. Keeping his calm complexion the young director looked around the researchers who went back to work with busy conversations being reset after the departure of the bald visitor.

Not realizing Alyssa standing next to him she tapped his shoulder causing Hope to lose his thoughts. Watching her face dilute into something more prideful than apologetic she smile at him. "Director I'm sorry for my behavior. It's not my place to say what is or isn't right for our project with your-"

"Save it," Hope interrupted crossing his arms at her. He saw her flinch in confusion before he noticed the false apology face melt away. He walked away slowly while keeping his attention at the sphere of light. "We have three weeks to make our work go into fruition. Let's get to work."

As he walked away Hope did notice an oddly familiar expression on her face. Like he'd seen it before but the feeling of such a memory didn't exist. Still he knew her determined face wasn't glued on, it was legitimate.

"Yes sir."

A quarter before six in the evening Hope retired back into his home having Roger keep charge of the night. Truthfully Hope wasn't too tired, he could have stayed really. The thought of going home early made him nervous, especially after that little incident.

Already making his way inside his and Claire's place he was welcomed by the smell of onions. Being extra quiet Hope put his keys back into his pocket and slowly shut the door behind him. Making his way to the kitchen he saw the usual pink haired woman busy practicing her newly acquired skills.

Tugging his jacket under one arm Hope spoke up gently, "smells good." No response. Pressing his lips Hope slowly walked towards her. Claire had her hair over one shoulder with a red hair tie. Her usual hair accessory when cooking, except her back was still to him.

Leaving a good two feet between them Hope glanced down over her shoulder at the onion soup being prepared in the pot. Truthfully it was one of his favorites, which was good because Claire knew this too. So she wasn't in too bad of a mood right?

He was about to comment about setting up the table before taking a few steps to the cupboard were the plates laid inside, until a nimble hand caught his grip. Looking straight at her eyes he knew this wasn't going to be a short conversation. Her blue eyes were focused and her expression didn't falter.

"After dinner we have to talk about 'that'," Claire said keeping her emphasis on that one word that Hope understood to be blunt and frank. He nodded back, "okay then after dinner."

Why did he have to be so emotionally loud? Why couldn't he just say a few words and agree to disagree? Damn it all.

"Hope! I said after dinner we'll-"

"I just want to know what exactly Snow told you."

"Look let's eat first and then I'll tell you exactly what he said," Claire replied raising her tone lightly. She wasn't mad yet, but frustration was starting to build up.

Hope turned his attention back at his half eaten bowl. Honestly it was delicious as always, but the sour feeling in his throat after the reminder of those terrible memories ruined his appetite. There was no way he was going to talk about any of this with her, none of matters anymore anyways.

He lifted his spoon from the bowl and began scooping a crouton around. After a satisfying chew Hope lifted his bowl and went to the sink not even bothering to look at her.

Across the sink Hope felt his tongue come lose and started talking again. Except maybe his voice sounded a bit too…too harsh.

"I'm going to my room to study a plan for the upcoming weeks. Thanks to a sassy assistant we now have to work harder within the next few weeks. I don't know if I'll be able to join you with your sister and Snow," said Hope keeping the water running as he washed the bowl in his hand. Playing with the water after the soap drained to the sink he glanced back at her.

He should have apologized for work getting in the way. Maybe even try to assure her that he would make time anyways tomorrow, instead whether it was the stressful day at work or the unwelcomed knowledge that Claire knew about 'that' put him in a bad attitude.

Instead he opened his mouth and told her they would not be discussing anything that happened during 'that' time. Almost regretting the tone in his voice Hope watched her.

First he heard the spoon drop into the dish across from him the stoic expression returned to her. He really didn't care about it, until he saw her get ready to leave the table.

"Claire where are you going?" He asked

He got the sound of a door across the hallway open and close in response. Hope didn't bother going after her, he had a lot of work to do. Walking over to her bowl she left behind he lifted it with the spoon and washed it in the sink before letting it dry. Then he slowly made his way to his room. It was almost seven thirty and the night sky had shadowed across his bedroom before Hope closed the door behind him. Not bothering to turn the light on he went straight to his corner desk and opted to turn on the small lamp he had placed there.

After the lighting flickered Hope reached for his messenger bag next to the desk on the floor and reached for his stuff. It wasn't until he bend down that he realized the smell of flowers or something similar. He reached his head up across his bed and noticed Claire scrunched up in his bed with her head resting at the bedpost side looking towards him.

Then it hits him. The memories of 'that' time comes slurring his vision. Without helping it his mind wraps around the times of his darkest moment during the old world. Director Hope Estheim leader of humanity. The symbol of hope for all and how a rose colored haired phantom slowly drove him insane from the inside out.

Resting back on his chair he waited for Claire to say something. When she didn't say anything he got more nervous. The scenery was too unpleasantly familiar. It almost seemed like a quiet cloud of gloom before a voice finally spoke.

"I was planning on heading out with Serah yesterday," Claire began. Hope rested his hands on his laps forcefully. Trying his best to stay still. Watching this Claire frowned lightly. He waited for her to continue, and when she did her words were constructed into an order.

"Hey come over here."

It wasn't much of a response but it took half a second before his feet acted on their own and made their way to the bed. Also bitterly familiar.

Sitting on the edge of the bed Hope refused to look at her. Not that it mattered anyways Claire started talking again.

"She was taking a shower when I got there so Snow and I started talking," she continued as Hope could only imagine those two sitting in a couch with awkwardness. At least the thought was amusing and light hearted. It had been a week since Snow and Serah arrived to visit. Hope and Claire spend their first day in France together mostly visiting things and sight-seeing. Hope remembered Snow the same as before, Serah however…well she was as gentle and caring as always. Although the baby bump definitely showed and Hope took it upon himself to offer them the first room he rejected when coming to France. It was the apartment paid for by his job and a couple of days before the Villier's arrival Hope and Claire cleaned out the place. Hope even purchased furniture for the living room and made sure the hallways had plenty of room.

Maybe a bit overboard since he recalled measuring the bedroom hallway and Claire raising an eyebrow at him. "You know Serah is pregnant not a walrus right?

Still their arrival was a welcomed sight. Even if Claire didn't seem like it, she enjoyed every moment with Serah when possible. Hope was convinced that Claire had taken it upon herself to accept Snow as Serah's guardian. But sisters always shared a special bond.

Humming involuntary Hope sat more comfortably in the bed before seeing Claire move her legs so he could move better.

When he was done adjusting she started talking again. A little more amusingly.

"Snow broke the lamp table by the way," she mentioned casually making Hope turn and finally face her. "Seriously? I-its brand new from a department store," he said in disbelief shaking his head lightly. He should have known better.

"His name may be Snow but he's a natural walking hurricane," she insisted resting a hand on her chin. Giving it a thought Hope stretched his hands behind his back on the mattress to lean his back in support. He waited for her to continue again.

"After a while he said some things...mentioned the aftermath of Serah's death and my departure." Claire's voice seemed as natural but as Hope caught her gaze there was a heavy silence. Of all the things Hope learned growing up in the Academy he didn't understand why adults made simple things seem complicated. Everything was so easy right?

You got a problem you can't solve? Ask for help.

Haven't talked to a friend in a long time? Call them.

That was his secret. He wasn't special, not as smart as people made him out to be. He just took the initiation on what most grown-ups were too scared to do. That was Hope's way of doing things, because some things in life you just do.

Then that happened. He doubted himself for one moment and everything came crushing down. The strangest part? Hope knew how to fix his problems, but his soul was like…it was like it switched to autopilot.

How was he going to explain this to her? More importantly how was he supposed to admit that what crushed him back then was a fake resemblance of her? It was just so…complicated.

"Hope?" She asked again making his head turn back to her. The details of her expression resembled the same worried look she gave him not too long ago. In truth he didn't like doing that. Making people worry about him. There was enough of that already.

However…

Claire Farron was the most stubborn person he ever met. At least when she was Lightning her questioning look was often followed by a quick confirmation that yes everything was fine, or no something was wrong but let's move on anyways.

He had to remember however that Lightning was a part of Claire. This woman before him was her full self, and the reminder that she was here in his bed talking to him for whatever reason and was staying with him when God knows she could be anywhere else doing all these amazing things made Hope have a warm feeling again in his chest.

Feeling a sigh of relieve escape his lips Hope turned his body fully towards her both legs crossed. Maybe he would regret telling her this later, maybe she'll walk away and leave with Serah and Snow. But she was his mentor right? He had to follow her lessons. Act. Do. Learn. Don't Regret.

That last one though….

"Alright, but I need to know what Snow told you first completely so I can-"Hope hesitated as her eyes quickly fluttered. "So I can fill in the gaps," he said calmly again trying to maintain the same stature he presented to Aoede.

* * *

_Maybe I wasn't being honest with him. When he asked me if I would go with him to France I was more hesitant than surprised. But maybe for selfish reasons._

_I…was happy when I saw Hope in my café all those months ago. Ever since he vanished I couldn't get a pain from leaving my mind. Back then when I was a soldier for the Guardian Corps I taught myself to do things in forms of tasks. Until every task was completed for the day the thought of rest or break didn't enter my mind. Methodical not strict. I had to act this way though, because I needed to be strong enough. _

_Maybe I'm stubborn. I really can't say, but I do know that of all the things that were set in stone and all the people I've encountered it wasn't enough. Hope and I didn't have enough…stuff. I guess that's the right term to use 'stuff' because I don't know what exactly I want out of him. All I know is that when I look at Serah or my idiot brother in law I feel nothing but satisfaction. Fang…Vanille…Sazh…and the rest too bring the same satisfaction inside my heart. _

_But Hope…_

_I could not feel the same way. Not like I used to. Back when he was a teenager he was openly expressive with everything. Maybe even borderline annoying at first, but I too understood how frustrating it was to be kicked by fate. So I helped him. Then he helped me, no more like saved me. _

_Then Snow told me about those times…_

_I was selfish. I lost my sister during my crucible of serving Etro and in return I gave up. Slept away in an attempt to make up for my mistakes, I simply didn't care anymore. I was tired of seeing people move on with their lives and I was tired of being alone. _

_Of all the things I failed to notice when I returned as the savior for Bhunivelze God of Light, was the lack of care of the fourteen year old Hope Estheim at my side. He seemed much more neutral in his expressions so I assumed then that his experiences had worn him down. I knew that was true for me. Maybe pessimistic wasn't the best way to express myself back then more jaded maybe._

_I confronted Hope about what Snow told me earlier. Now here I am in my room writing in my journal, just as I promised Serah. Funny enough I don't think I ever wrote more than a few sentences till now. But maybe…I don't know how but I feel more confused than before. _

_Hope confirmed what Snow said about their time after the chaos infused itself with the world. Hope was in more ways than one the beacon for humanity. I already knew that when I watched him from Valhalla during my days as Etro's guardian. I didn't once seem him doubt out loud or complain when the time travelling shifts set back his work. He was patient, calm, understanding. All noble qualities for the leader of humanity. _

_I knew a lot about him then. I didn't know how he felt about me though. Not until after tonight. I would laugh if I wasn't as nervous as I am right now. It's strange though, I never once heard him say my name when he was the Director of the Academy. Only until Serah would mention me did he bring me up in conversation. Bhunivelze was impatient that the souls of people didn't give in so easy to it. When God found out that Hope Estheim was culprit behind humanity's resistance it…Hope-_

Claire rested her pen down when she heard a knock on her door. Closing her journal she tucked it under one of the compartments of her dresser. She had this coming. She noticed Hope enjoyed getting the last word in everything. Quietly getting up from her chair she made her way towards the door.

When she gazed up at the sight of Hope crossing his arms around nervously she was already asking him if he was okay.

Claire didn't expect his reply. Her face already shoved into his chest. This was not how she did things nor did she think Hope would ever act this strange even after what happened a few minutes ago.

"Hope let go already I'm not sure wh-"

"This is your fault."

"What?" Claire asked forcing her hands to release his grip on her head. When she touched his hands she realized his resistance was minimal.

He didn't seem upset just a little too…assured for her likening. He was a good few inches taller than her and the fact that she looked more confused than alert made Hope act upon another chance to stagger her.

Gently he lifted an index finger to her forehead and let it rest there. "All those years ago you told me don't touch anything." Hope pressed his finger lightly against her skin.

Frowning at him Claire moved to get away. Already measuring his distance he stepped back causing her more confusion.

His eyes seemed to be focused on the floor but his voice didn't shy away. "Focus on your ultimate goal and shut out everything else," he repeated her advice to him. That wasn't the case though anymore. She wasn't sure what he was playing at.

"Light…do you understand where I'm going with this?" He asked more softly this time green eyes searching for hers. She was staggered. But she had told him to call her Claire. So why?

"No I don't and I'm starting to think your delusional, go get some sleep." She offered looking at her alarm clock resting on her night stand.

9:12 P.M

"I'm not tired," he complained looking back at her gaze to the alarm clock. "And it's not even late enough."

"Fine then go get some-"

"You're ignoring my question...Light." He said again watching her put a hand on her hip automatically.

"I told you to call me Claire. Seriously why are you?" She didn't finish her sentence because he already started talking pretending that she had asked about his question.

Hope made his way around her and sat on the edge of her bed. A little springier than his was the first thing Hope noticed. Ignoring her stare he continued again, "You were my mentor, if you meant to be or not well that was just how I looked up to you."

"At first, I realized that you were tough and brave. The type of things I wanted to be." He said taking the chance to look around her room. It was pretty and very neat.

Hearing her footsteps head towards him Hope waited for her to walk beside him. Instead he felt the mattress shift as she sat down next to him.

"Then I grew up. And my father and Rgydea were in charge of creating a new form of government for Coccon after the fall of the Sanctum. I tried to help the best that I could, tried your advice." He said turning his head to his left to see her looking down in thought. Fully hoping she was taking this all in as easy as he wanted it to be.

"Your advice sucked," he said flatly watching her react the way Hope thought she would. Slightly startled and her mouth parted slightly. Now she was looking at him, Hope had her full attention.

Letting a warm smile out he continued, "I realized during my final terms of graduating from the Academy that I didn't really fit to be tough. So I focused on something else, I started to believe in people. Understand them even go as far as guide people that I knew needed help."

Her expression went back to a more relaxed tone and a small sigh escaped when Hope laughed.

"It turns out I'm just a natural worrying person after all, but you know what?" He said quietly looking at one of his hands in though. Giving him a sideways look she lifted her head, "No what?"

He looked at the hand that he was studying before placing it over her right hand. "This worrisome hand got you back," Hope said a matter of factly.

"So what does that tell you?" He asked looking at her again. He really needed to stop asking so many questions.

"Hope I'm not…"

How could she explain? She wasn't slow or anything, but she wasn't as perceptive when it came to these things. Fighting? Sure, well at least back then. Making a good cup of espresso? Absolutely. But these things? It was uncomfortable for her at least Serah knew how to phrase herself. Hope was just too pushy.

"It means Claire," he interrupted her thoughts again lifting her hand with his. "That I tried shutting you out. But when the phantom drove me through a state of insanity I realized that the essence of that illusion came from me."

Staring blankly at their entwined hands Claire softened her frown. Slightly.

"You know how it worked right? Bhunivelze couldn't see people's souls, but it could sense despair. When Bhenuvilze found out what my heart longed for more than anything...not even I could stop it."

"It was out of my control. Quite literally." Hope assured nodding halfway through before a new thought came in.

"I wanted you."

Now she really did want to laugh. He sounded more like a researcher reaching a conclusion than a hopeless rom-well…

Even she couldn't escape asking him. Still feeling their hands together she looked at her feet swaying gently. Hope didn't say anything else for a while. Until he realized she was going to stay quiet as possible did he start again. "Hey can I ask you one last thing?"

The proposition seemed innocent enough, so she gazed back at him peacefully. "Sure."

Hearing his voice change again she sensed the strange humor again. "You feel like letting go of my hand savior?"

Blinking at him she couldn't help but chuckle back. "Don't push your luck."

Looking around her room again Hope studied everything.

"Now we both got to see each other rooms. You're is nicer than mine." He said turning his attention to their hands still in the same position as before.

She nodded back before looking up, "its cleaner than yours too." Letting out a hum of agreement he looked at the time again. Still not late enough.

"What time are you going to see Snow and Serah tomorrow?" He asked turning back to her. He caught her following his glances around the room. Breathing out gently she looked down at him, "I'm not sure exactly. Serah seems to be in a bit of a mood swing, so I guess whenever she doesn't feel emotional about things we'll go out."

Hope tugged her hand gently surprised to feel her grip hardened. "Can I come?" He asked hearing her grunt back. "I thought you said you couldn't-"

"I changed my mind. I'll let Gale and his walking trainee Alyssa handle tomorrow. It's her fault we're in the predicament of rushing through things anyways." He said tensing up at the reminder.

Feeling her grip weakened she looked at him quizzically. "Alyssa? A new researcher?" It was the first time in a very long time since moving here that Claire ever asked about his work. He opened up again sighing slowly.

"Yeah we have this new team that Gale assisted in choosing. One of them decided to talk back to one of my bosses. Now were stuck in our work and we have to present significant results over the next three weeks." He said shifting his feet around.

"The one that opened her mouth her name is Alyssa Zaidalle I never even heard of her before today. Actually I uh- she let me in when I left my card key in one of coats in my room." He said looking down sheepishly.

"Yeah I saw, I did some laundry today, figured I'd wash my white dress shirts from work with your coats." She said surprising him. "Oh you did? Thanks, I sort of just let them collect." He said.

"I noticed."

He finally felt her let go of his hand before shifting around the bed facing him. "Hey Hope?"

He looked at her serious expression with curiosity before shifting around more comfortable.

"Yeah?"

"Do you remember everyone from before? Like all the people that helped you during your time as Director?" She asked looking at him hesitantly.

Startled at her question he looked up in thought. This wasn't something he ever thought about.

"Do I remember everyone?" He repeated looking down thoughtfully. "Yeah I believe so. I mean my recollection of things prior to the chaos era seemed easy for me to remember. Even the assistants I had during my early days, I worked closely with an intern that rose quickly in rank. I think her name was Aina."

"Yes Aina Stein, she was very punctual. How could I forget her?" Hope humored lightly as he turned to Claire. She didn't seem to share his humor.

Feeling the only possible explanation escape his lips Hope ended up asking Claire a question that was quickly shut down.

"No! I'm not jealous. I'm just asking is all," she insisted. Hope knew she was telling the truth, but still it would have been nice if-well never mind.

Still there was something to her hesitation that Hope understood she was thinking about something. Something she wasn't willing to share. He needed to correct this as soon as possible.

"If you and I are going to be in a relationship you have to tell me everything your thinking." He said hearing her scoff in return. "Easy Estheim. And I'm pretty sure that's not how it works. People have the right to have some thoughts to themselves."

Hope's gaze shifted back contently. Defiantly, but not smug. "So we are a couple then?" He heard her growl quietly. This was her way of telling him to drop it. On normal circumstances he would do so, but he already stepped out of bounds the moment he told her about the rose haired phantom.

Testing his theory Hope got up slightly before pretending to head towards the door. He thought he would take a few steps before she would stop him, but he made his way to his room without a sound of interruption.

Huh.

* * *

Standing in his room alone again he felt dumb as his hands rested on his sides. He was going to try to get some rest, besides the fact that he made a fool of himself he didn't feel like facing Claire right now. Even if his plan didn't work his pride still hurt.

He felt sure though, so for now that was enough. He changed into his sleeping shorts and black shirt before turning off the lights. Tomorrow was going to be interesting, he didn't even bother to think about telling Snow and Serah about them. Maybe Claire did think of all this and was smart enough to know the headaches all this could cause them.

Hope shifted in his bed barely able to see anything but the green dim lights of the alarm clock. Tomorrow was going to be interesting indeed.

"Move over."

Moving to his side Hope could barely see her face holding onto his shoulder to lay on the other side of the bed. After his heart stopped beating frantically at her quiet intrusion. Seriously how did she do that? The door didn't even make a noise.

Still he obeyed and unlike the phantom during those days Claire's embrace behind him was real this time.

"Hope."

"Hmm?"

"You don't snore do you?"


	6. We have arrived

**Author's Note: Hey guys, here's the next chapter that I've looked forward to showing. Its been a while for me to reveal what I've been eager to show up until now. The hints were there in previous chapters, so if you guessed it kuddos! The story is coming to an end soon, but this chapter opens up something I'm working on right now. But for now I hope you enjoy this chapter and I'll keep in touch soon. Thanks for the support, feel free to review for all thoughts. See you all very soon!**

"_**Walk on wandering souls, for your respite we pray…**_

_Jack: Oh, boy…this really hurts.  
Cinque: Y-yeah.  
Trey: It is…quiet painful  
Sice: But I'm not ready…  
Eight: I'm scared…  
King: Yeah…_

_**Let our humble song clear your hearts of dismay…**_

_Hope: Hey Light…? If the dead are saved, will I…  
Lightning: Hope? What's wrong Hope?  
Hope: Do you think my soul will…_

_**Rekindle the flame in your souls and set you free…**_

_Lighting: I'm sorry.  
Hope: Don't be. At least I'm able to talk to you for one last time, while I can be my true self._

_Cinque: Next? We don't have a next…  
Trey: But we're free to think about it, Cinque.  
Cinque: Then let's think of a future…a big happy future!  
Cinque: Good! And then? What do we do when we're done studying? What do we do WAY in the future?  
Nine: "Way in the future"? Like how long?  
Cinque: Hmm…how about, like, TEN years later? _

_**So walk on and become the light that guides the way…"**_

_Deuce: I'm sure that no matter what we do, it will be great as long as we're together.  
Cater: Yeah. Life would definitely be fun. I just know it!  
Queen: Yes! I would agree with that.  
Jack: Hmmm… But you never know what will happen in the future, right? So I think we should just stay in the moment, y'know what I mean?  
Seven: Ohh, is that why I heard you whisper that you NEVER want to grow up?  
Nine: Wait what the hell?_

_Hope: It's okay. We could hear you, Light. Let's go we'll be together.  
_

**Quotes of Final Fantasy Type 0 and Lightning Returns and lyrics from "Zero" (Ace's lullaby)**

"I'll move my queen to H5. That should be a checkmate," said the blonde man gently lifting his glasses from the bench. Too busy inspecting them while Hope stood in the same position from two minutes ago.

"A checkmate in three moves again? What am I doing wrong, and don't tell me it's nothing," said Hope studying the board for his mistakes. It was so odd. He wasn't competitive or anything, but he had to understand everything that got thrown at him whether it was a challenge or not. Just the notion of being clueless made Hope more and more agitated.

Staring at the board Hope looked at his pieces methodically. After a while at coming up with nothing more than a blank expression, Hope gave in and looked up to Roger for help when something caught his attention.

Roger looked sad. Well when Hope met him he thought Roger always looked sad. But after spending a few years with him he realized the man was just a solemn soft spoken individual. But there was no question about it now however. The light blue eyes didn't lie, that was something Hope liked about him actually. Easy to read.

The split second of sadness that Hope saw was replaced by the usual polite expression the moment Roger noticed Hope staring at him.

"Have you figured out how you lost yet Hope?" Debating on asking him about chess or personal matters Hope choose the first subject and saw a pleasant smile across Roger's face.

Hope nodded back as he fiddled with one of his pawn pieces. "You hate sacrificing your pawns don't you?"

At this Roger didn't smile back. The expression that came forward wasn't distant from the sad look he had a moment ago. Saying nothing at first Roger put on his glasses and stared down at the pieces. There was silence and a nice breeze through trees that echoed the whistles of the air. It was nice. Roger must have enjoyed it too because he looked more relieved after the breeze made its way over to their bench.

Resting his hands down he looked back up at Hope. "I don't like sacrificing anything."

Hope blinked surprisingly at the weird contradiction. "How can that be when this game expects you to?" Roger rubbed the side of his neck nervously before answering quickly. "Of course I know that, I mean fundamentality I don't like sacrificing my pieces"

Hope thought about that. It didn't make sense actually, because the very first move was Roger putting his white pawn that was in front of his king, move forward two pieces. Then Hope countered with his black pawn to a position where Roger's pawn could capture his. The idea was that Hope wanted Roger to capture his pawn so he could open up the King from hiding. Except the next move that Roger made wasn't to capture the black pawn but rather move his white pawn one spot to where both pawns couldn't harm one another. A stalemate. The first thing that came to Hope's mind was that Roger was planning on opening up his queen from getting captured so he moved a bishop across in waiting.

Then Roger moved his queen to the other side of Hope's black pawn piece. The same piece Roger didn't capture and now was caught in between the two white pieces, but more importantly staring right at Hope's king piece. Unable to move anything Hope lost within three turns. This was there fourth game now and in all matches Roger had beaten him in different ways but always in three moves.

Staring at the board Hope looked at his black pawn and then at Roger's white pawn. Becoming more curious the Director's mind was more and more intrigued at the play.

"_Why didn't Roger just capture my piece? He let it slip away, why?"_

"Hope?"

"Hmm?"

Not paying attention he saw Roger look at his watch before Hope realized their break was over. Time to get back to work again.

"Next time Hope?" Roger asked reaching for a wooden box under his seat. Placing the old box on the bench he started putting the pieces inside gently. As he closed the lid when he was done Hope noticed an elegant cursive name on it.

Getting up Hope waited for Roger to do the same. As he did so Hope asked him curiously about the name of the box.

"So who's Ace?"

"Hmm? Oh you saw that?" Said Roger looking down at his box.

"It's my old name. Nickname I mean."

"Huh." Hope looked curiously at the box as they walked side by side to the facility and away from the park.

"Ace huh? I like that, it fits you. Always the trump card at work." Hope said out loud resting his hands behind his head.

Laughing at this Roger shook his head at the young Director. "It's a name nobody has called me in a very long time. " Roger's face mused up slightly in thought. Hope wondered if he ever saw him like this. "It was a nickname that was used between myself and my t-"there was a pause then. Roger adjusted his glasses slightly and halted his walk.

"Friends. It was a nickname my friends used to call me by," he said correcting himself as his eyes narrowed across the sky. Looking back warmly he shook his head and walked as Hope waited for him.

"Just don't tell Gale what you said about me being your trump card."

"You kidding me, I'll say it out loud since he's the one who put Alyssa in the roster, making us work harder because of it."

"It's not his fault you know," Roger chimed in. Hope sighed admittedly, it was his responsibility to assign his team. Gale was just trying to help.

"Your right, it's not right for me to blame others for my job."

Roger nodded back and then they remained silent as they finally made their way to the crossing light to the facility.

"You know what though?"

"What?"

"I'm going to call you Ace in front of him out of spite, see if he gets jealous."

"Oh. He already knows," laughed Roger tugging his box under one arm as he pressed the button for the light to cross.

"Really? So I was the one out of the loop?" Asked Hope surprisingly looking both ways of the street.

"Well yeah-I mean you never really asked about our personal stuff so…you know." Roger said casually as both men walked across quickly.

"Actually. Gale and I go way back." Said Roger with a tone Hope noticed a little more serious.

"Way…way back," Roger emphasized quietly.

Hope put his hand on Roger's shoulder before entering the facility. "Maybe in our next match you can tell me all about that."

Roger smiled back at that.

"Sure. I'll tell you about him and myself," keeping his polite expression Roger waited for Hope to turn away. Then his smile became more honest in solemnness.

"_And maybe I'll tell you about them."_

* * *

"No."

"But Director- I"

"You've already been warned," replied Gale without looking up from his workstation. Alyssa ignored him entirely and went around the round table while pressing feverishly at her tablet. Hope didn't budge he was already preoccupied with enough distractions and if the young assistant really was serious about working on a solution she had a funny way of showing it.

Putting her tablet in his face Hope frowned at the sudden bright screen before looking back at her. She had spunk he gave her that, but stubbornness was also a trait that wasn't needed in a timed project. Before Hope could open his mouth a sudden object on the screen made him do a double take.

"This formula where did you get it?" Hope asked scanning the information that preluded the structure of the equation. Alyssa offered the tablet to him.

"I came up with it."

That was twenty minutes ago. Now Hope was doing something he didn't think he would do. His team was now concentrating on a new project for the week that remained to act as a catalyst to the main reactor. Still he had to admit Alyssa was proving to be crucial behind the research. What would normally take hours and hours of work of was being covered in fraction of that time. Mostly because well, she had the answers.

Tugging at his tie Hope plopped down on his chair. Looking down at his watch Hope saw it was getting late.

"I brought Chinese food," chimed Gale with two large plastic bags. They had been working hard for five hours and after the model was figured out in blueprint Hope personally walked over to engineering and let them to go work immediately. Afterwards he let half the team go home for a good night's rest. The only ones left were Roger, Gale, Alyssa, and two interns that insisted on helping. Taking a moment to clear his mind Hope stared up at the ceiling in thought. He could hear the group of people moving around the food and getting paper plates to serve each other.

"You should eat something too Director," said Alyssa across the room as Hope hummed in response. It was odd, something about this seemed familiar to him. Feeling a bit relaxed Hope got up and joined the others. Roger was helping himself to a bowl of soup he seemed to specifically order. While Gale and the two interns that Hope didn't bother talking to, started to gobble the rest of the food.

"Here I saved you a plate," said the unbashful blonde woman as a plate was handed to him. Hope looked down at it before answering. "Thank you Alyssa."

She shrugged and put a spoonful of food in her mouth. After a couple of chews she turned to Gale.

"You did make sure to put it on the V.P's budget right?" Alyssa asked between mouthfuls. Gale nodded as Roger let out a groan clearly in disapproval.

Hope couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. It did feel good knowing that the unpleasant bald suit was being charged for their dinner. Choosing to sit next to Gale Hope lifted his fork and started to dig in. Noticing the two interns Hope took the opportunity to get to know them. In the other life as Director Hope was as antisocial as he was now. But he knew a few people, mostly though his direct assistant did all the talking to the second hands.

Keeping his hands open he turned towards the closer of the two. He couldn't be that much older in years than Hope. His hair was mouse brown and had the body type of a typical little guy. His eyes were no different than Gale's emerald eyes. Actually they looked more alike if it wasn't for Gale's jet black hair. Noticing Hope observing the young adult he slurped his noodles before looking up completely.

"My apologies but I don't think I've heard your name." Hope turned to the girl beside him. "Or your name for that matter," Hope added.

The boy turned to Gale before blinking slowly in surprise. "Ah right, sorry I have tunnel vision Director." Hope gestured gently at him, "you don't have to apologize."

Nodding back the young man reached for a napkin and cleaned his hand, a little vigorously. Clean freak maybe? Outstretching his hand Hope took it.

"My name is Izzy. Izzy Kunagiri." Hope shook his hand as he smiled back, "nice to have you onboard, and thanks for staying overtime."

Hearing a light cough Hope turned his attention at the small girl. Her face was relaxing and she politely smiled at Hope.

Her eyes were dark, but there seemed to be a red hue in her pupils. Hope turned to her as Izzy continued chowing down on his food. She nodded curtly at Hope.

"Remy Tokimiya, sir."

Hope nodded at the newly acquainted team members. They may have been interns but they worked flawlessly with the researchers Gale gathered. All members were very well linked, like a dedicated team. Now that Hope thought about it these two interns spent a lot of time with Gale and Roger. Maybe they were colleagues from another time?

Whatever the case Hope was glad to have them on his side. And Alyssa was proving to be more instrumental than before.

"Izzy and Remy. I'm glad to have you both on board."

Hearing a muffled protest behind him Hope turned to Gale.

"Anything you want to tell me Einstein? You know any special thank you Gale for choosing this team. Or thanks for being on board." Echoed Gale's voice in the room.

Alyssa snorted in response. "Please like you did anything."

Everybody laughed at this even Hope couldn't help but crack a smile at the taunt.

Gale turned to the young woman skeptically, "You're on my list Alyssa."

Remy burst into laughter, her laughter gentle as her expression. Almost ignoring Alyssa, Gale looked at the young intern gently. Hope couldn't help but watch Izzy take advantage of the small talk to fill up his plate.

Hope kept his smile while thinking over his team.

"_They all seem like a class having fun."_

"Izzy did you eat everything!?"

"Hmfph?"

Hope did not laugh when he got home however. It was late. Very late. Going past one in the morning Hope slowly closed the door of his apartment as gently as possible. Hope had a habit of coming home late at night more common now that there were a few days left until the big deadline. Claire understood. But this was the first time he had stayed at work this late.

Hope didn't understand why he felt so guilty. Maybe a part of it had to do with the fun he had at work. Or perhaps it was paranoia, obnoxious and annoying paranoia. Expecting to see the living room pitch black he was welcomed to the hum of the television. Resting on the couch was a sleeping rose haired body laid across with a blanket.

Putting down his messenger bag Hope walked over to the television to turn it off before something on the screen caught his attention. It wasn't a TV program, but rather a home video. Snow was shown wearing a Hawaiian shirt and cargo pants.

"Sis you got this?" Snow asked petting a penguin, well more like shaking its flipper. The cam recorder focused instead at Serah who was on the ledge of the frame looking down at her husband with a questioning look.

"Yeah I got this alright," said the familiar voice behind the recorder. Hope couldn't help but breathe out a muffled laugh. Right, this must have been the vacation he missed out on. Snow and Serah gave Claire a copy and Hope told her they were going to watch this together.

Like a fast ringing bell the guilty feeling creeped in again. He knew there was a reason for feeling like-

"Hey your home," interrupted a voice behind him. Hope turned off the television and looked back at her in the couch. Completely in the dark. Clever.

Slowly walking towards the couch Hope reached out his hand. Feeling the cold touch of the blanket he made contact with her shoulder. "Hey there, I didn't mean to wake you up."

"What time is it?" She asked quietly still slurring half asleep.

"It's late, past one in the morning. Work took longer than expected." He said bending down as his arms reached for her fully.

Making a noise in response Claire moved around in his hold. "Don't worry about me I'm fine. It's you that should get some rest."

Hope ignored her and proceeded to pick her up in response. When she moved one of her legs to stop him Hope sighed as she got up with her blanket. He could hardly make out her face in the dark. But he insisted on holding on to her hand and walked with her towards their room.

"How was work anyways?" She asked as they made their way to the hallway.

Hope pulled her gently towards the door to the room, "Its fine."

"You always say its fine, how do I know if you're lying or not?" She asked suddenly. This caught him by surprise. Normally when they were in perfect awake conditions she would ask about work and he would reply the same way. Then she would nod her head and never ask again for the day. Maybe the tiredness was overtaking her stubbornness. Still…

Something in him made Hope act silent at this. He waited until he let go of her hand by her side of the bed. Wordlessly setting on her side of the bed Hope walked to the other side and removed his clothing in the dark. Getting into his sleeping clothes he got on his side of the bed slowly. When he got comfortable Hope scooted closer to her. Feeling a small resistance mostly due to her tiredness perhaps Hope took advantage of this and rested her head on his chest.

Still reluctantly Claire muffled out a 'get some sleep' noise. Instead though Hope tried something new. Slowly holding her head with his left hand in his chest he spoke quietly.

"Work was interesting today…"

…

…

…

"Tell me."

* * *

(Seven Years Later)

"Dad?"

"Wh-what?"

"Are you even listening? I asked where we're going."

Hope looked down at his son who kept his hands in his pockets trying to keep up. The awkward six year old feet of his buckled from time to time but Aaron was stubborn. Slowing down his pace to a sudden halt Hope gave his son another go. Raising his hands in gesture Hope was greeted by the same 'no' look from his son. Smiling back at Faith by her mother's side Hope attempted the same with better results. The silver haired girl lifted her arms and happily accepted the piggy back ride unlike her brother.

He heard the laughter from the little girl before Hope turned to his wife who was trying to find something in her purse. Keeping the same questioning look Aaron looked around the beach shore. They have walked for a bit around the beach and his dad still didn't tell him anything. He seemed to like doing that a lot.

It's not like he was impatient or anything. But the suspense was killing him. At home when he would help out his mother with her work he would do everything in a thorough matter. But Aaron always asked for details. Details mattered to him, wasn't sure why. His mother told him that was a good thing, but he wasn't sure about that.

Feeling his hair being ruffled lightly he turned to his mother who seemed to be reading his mind. "Just a little bit further. Be patient."

He hated when she did that. Whenever his mom played with his hair it always felt embarrassing, although he didn't mind the warmth to it.

"Right," the boy said as he paid attention to his sister's shadow over him from way on top of his dad. Suddenly he was tempted to take up on the offer he rejected moments ago. But he wasn't a little kid anymore, he was six now. We'll sort of, they hadn't had cake yet so maybe officially he was still five. He wasn't sure how birthdays worked yet, but blowing candles on a cake seemed to be the feeling of overcoming another year of living.

He heard his sister giggling from on top. Curious now he looked up at her, "what's so funny?"

"My face is being tickled," she said in between laughs. Looking up he felt the breeze Aaron could only imagine the higher up you were the more contact the wind would have. He shrugged back at her.

"Don't fall."

Suddenly his dad stopped and turned to his mother. His mom had been awfully quiet.

"Is that it?" He heard his father ask his mother. Then Aaron noticed something about his mom. She looked nervous? His mom was the coolest person he knew. He had seen her happy, confused, mad, and scary mad once…but nerveous?

"Yeah…I set it all up so," she said holding Aaron's shoulders as the boy felt himself being pushed forward. They had been walking by the shore for a while until now. They reached a small park with an open place with tables and chairs all around. Then Aaron saw the people all sitting down and smiled at the familiar faces. It was mostly mom and dad's friends, but uncle Snow and aunty Serah were there too.

He ran up to meet them before stopping to see his dad whisper something his mom. She seemed happy, so he didn't seem worried about her anymore.

Besides he was curious if…

"Hey Aaron, what took you so long?" Asked the familiar voice from the group of people waiting for him. The grinning blonde kid was watching him with his hands casually resting behind his head.

Yes! His cousin was here too. Jack was a year older than him but they've been friends since forever. Aaron looked at his parents walking beside him with his little sister still perched up over dad's shoulder.

Turning back to his wife Hope smiled back knowingly. "How come you never planned this good of a birthday party for me?"

"Hmm." She replied brushing her daughter's similar hair back. "You can't be my center of attention all the time."

Hope hummed in laughter as he felt Faith's light kicks on his back signal she wanted down. Fulfilling his daughter's wish he slowly let her down on ground as she went over to her favorite aunt.

Leaving the two parents behind them looked at each other. "We didn't do bad though," the dad insisted.

"We?" She asked with a fake surprised look.

"I did all the work really."

"Well, I pitched in too Claire."

…

…

"Wait, you are referring to the party?" He asked.

"Maybe. What are you talking about?" Claire asked back raising her eyebrows knowingly.

* * *

"What are you talking about?"

"M-y arm Light, its-"

"Oh shit! I'm sorry Hope…" She apologized moving her head from its rest…a very numbed out arm. Hope used his other hand to move the numbed out arm and sighed quietly. If it wasn't for the face he was making Hope would have imagined this to be the funniest awkward moment they shared.

It was his fault anyways for making Claire rest her head on top of his chest. Somewhere along the night movements she moved herself over his arm. Hearing a grunt that failed to hide its amusement Hope narrowed his eyes at her. Or at least tried to. It was still dark outside, five in the morning according to the alarm clock.

"How is it?" She asked seriously although thanks to the lack of lightning it was hard to know if she was smiling or not. Hope shrugged and felt strange when his left arm barely registered the movement.

"It's weird, but the blood flow will come back shortly. He said unable to sound any less serious.

"_I'm an idiot."_ He reminded himself.

Feeling a touch to his numbed arm, a drop riffle effect spread through and Hope's body shivered in response.

"Nothing?" She asked.

"Give it some time," he said looking up at her as she moved in closer. Now close enough to notice the forced politeness across her face Hope narrowed his eyes again.

"Don't touch it, please."

"I won't." She assured with the same look on her face.

Looking back at the ceiling Hope pressed his eyes shut. What now? He usually woke up at five thirty, so should he just call it quits and get up early? His questions were answered by a brushed touch to the semi numbed out arm.

He turned to open his mouth before she surprised him again with her mouth. Connected he responded back.

When they broke their kiss Hope looked up at her quietly. "Hope…"

"Yeah?"

"No use in going back to sleep right?" She asked watching him nod in agreement.

"Thirty whole minutes…you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Hope was pressed down and honestly wasn't bothered by it right now. Until he felt her poke his left arm again.

"Is it better now?" She asked eagerly.

"Yeah. Its good, I'm all good now." Hope assured lifting his gaze quickly.

Watching her smile turn into a grin his heartbeat rose up before-

"Good to hear, jogging should help get your blood pumping too."

It fell down.

Blinking his eyes at her retreating body Hope pushed himself up. With both perfectly fine arms.

"W-wait hold on Claire." Sounded more like a protest.

"Hope you called me Light again, when you woke up," she reminded as she walked to the restroom. This sucked.


	7. Old habbits never die

**Author's notes: Hello again! I'm back to post another chapter. This one is a bit of a neat passover to the conclusion of the story, but its also the beginning of something else. I hope you enjoy it and please continue to be patient. I'm already done with this story, but what I have lined up need to be ready by the time I decide to post the final chapters. Thank you for the awesome reviews and tips, all is taken into consideration. I face palm when I find a grammatical error, but I get caught between fixing issues when I post a chapter. I see that if you correct a chapter the story gets posted as new content, and I'd hate to repost something that isn't new in content. I just need to be careful, and stop relying on auto correction. I caught a few 'corrections' that didn't help at all. I digress though, thanks for your support again and I'll keep in touch soon. Bye!**

_**Hope: "Of course I'm scared Light. But its okay because I have you-and fang...and that guy."**_

_**Lightning and Fang:"Hmm..."**_

_**Snow:"...W-Hey! what do you mean 'this' guy!?"**_

**\- Final Fantasy XIII (Riding on the Lindblum)  
**

It's not that he hated Snow. Hope just couldn't handle the way the brawny blonde said things. Like now for instance.

"Are you finished?"

Rubbing his chest Snow resided his final chuckle before sneering at the young man. Hope knew he should have just kept his mouth shut.

Shaking his head Snow finally answered, "All this time you two were essentially roommates? Jeez Hope Serah thought for sure you two arrived here to start a relationship."

Speaking of which, Hope looked around the corner as the yellow neon light of the creamery that was finally visible. Both men had been sent on a mission for ice cream for the younger Farron sister, evidently hearing that the French had some of the best dairy food available from the older sibling. Funny enough Claire wasn't dragged to a quarter of a mile to find said ice cream shop, however she did request some.

As Snow and Hope made their way across the street the younger researcher looped around puddles of water. They had rainfall for the last couple of days and the cracks of the old streets didn't bode well with the weather. As he watched Snow walk through the puddles Hope motioned to the carpet outside the shop they were about to enter.

"Cultural thing?" Snow asked dragging his feet a few times across the carpet. Hope shook his head in response.

"No. Just courtesy."

Hearing the doorbell the familiar clerk raised his head to one of the familiar customers. "Bonjour, messieurs du soir. M. Estheim fait que vous apprécierez mon recomendation?"

Hope smiled back warmly at the familiar man. "Soirée Ansel , je suis ici pour l'habituel ." The man walked to the stand inside the shop. Claire liked this place a lot, one time Hope asked her when her anti-sweet rule had changed? She always sidestepped that question. The small comfortable place may have been part of the reason why they would visit this place as well. There were five booths and a stand where you could watch the ice cream flavors while you ate ice cream. Genius idea really.

Looking around Hope saw a small family enjoying their treats as Snow already walked straight to the front to order. Before he could make his way beside the brawny man Hope heard the murmurs.

"Hope…there's like random flavors everywhere." Snow said scanning his eyes at the bins of flavors. The platinum haired man nodded as he made his way to his predetermined choice. Suggested by the older Farron sister of course.

"Raspberry coconut is very good," Hope suggested as Snow arched his eyebrows at him. Hope didn't bother saying anything after that. Some people just didn't appreciate diversity.

"Where's the regular vanilla?"

Hope began ordering the orders in French as Snow watched him quizzically. A characteristic that didn't belong to Snow, maybe it's true what they say about marriage.

"You sure do sound convincing Hope. Heck Light sounds more fluent still. Kinda creepy actually." Snow said putting his hands around his denim jacket. Hope chuckled back, "Its Claire now by the way."

"Really? I called her that the other day and she gave me the death glare. Might as well had called her sis, although technically we are-"

"Wait-what?" Hope asked raising his eyes at him. Snow puzzled look was followed by 'why are you so surprised' look.

Reading the glance Hope shook his head, "No…well not the glare, that's normal for you. I meant you calling her Claire. She got upset about that?"

Snow moved closer to the other end of the stand as Hope followed. Watching Ansel work behind the counter.

"Yeah she did, hey do they use eggs? Serah and I aren't allergic or anything, it's kinda just….hmm eggs in ice cream." Said Snow mostly to himself as Hope's impatience grew quietly.

"Yeah it's different here, but why did she get mad about you calling her name?" He asked again as a sudden grin grew from Snow. Cunning, like Serah.

Crossing his arms Snow looked to the side, "I see now, you're really hooked on that huh? I don't get it, but did you get in trouble too?"

Blinking at him Hope looked up at him. "No I didn't. But she's been converting me to call her Claire since almost the entire time we've moved here. Just curious why it doesn't apply with you."

There was a pause before Snow looked down as if pondering something. When Ansel called them for their ice cream pints Hope sidestepped the taller man to pay.

Catching on a bit late Snow made his way beside Hope. "Hey wait I got this one Hope, besides Serah practically ordered a pint for herself."

Laughing warmly at the thought Hope already handed his card to Ansel. "No I'm treating you all as guests."

Saying their goodbyes Hope walked outside the shop as he waited for Snow. "I tipped him," said Snow as Hope internally laughed at the norm. "That was nice of you," Hope said handing over one of the two bags. As he did so Hope motioned his eyes slowly.

"Although you could repay me if you answer my question."

Snow accepted one of the bags and sneered halfheartedly. "I can pay you back for talking? Lead the way."

* * *

Motioning forward Hope began listening to Snow's earlier hard learned lesson of Claire apparent exclusive rule. Serah being the only one to call her by her real name. A lie obviously, but it made Hope curious. He probably was never going to bring that up, he still has a list of things that needed to get answered in order of priority. This topic wasn't high on the list. However…

Hope pressed the walk light and signaled Snow to wait with him before crossing the street. They were about two blocks away from Hope's first apartment. Well technically Snow and Serah's place while they visited. The wed couple had been around for nearly two weeks. Hope wanted to bring up somethings with Snow in private, but up until now time wouldn't allow it. The light was still red.

"Hey Snow?" Hope started asking as the blonde man turned his attention from the heavy bag in his hand. Keeping his eyes focused the young researcher started looking for words. "I um…I saw the home video with Claire. You know the trip I missed."

"Yeah?" Grinned Snow as he lightly punched Hope's right shoulder. "You missed out on a lot of fun right?" Keeping his instinctive need to rub his shoulder Hope smiled slowly instead. "Yeah I did. I missed out on a lot. Not just here but…"

"There," Snow finished Hope's sentence before a moment of silence entered in between both men.

There. The old world.

"Ah, well it's all over now right?" Asked Snow bringing a hand to slide over his long blonde mane. It wasn't like Hope to be such a downer. Actually Hope had a raising suspicion that Claire had been bothered by this change. He didn't like it either.

Hope was well, hopeful as a kid. Raised by a supporting mother and a busy father who tried to dedicate his work for the boy's future. Sometime between coming back as a L'Cie free kid. Hope Estheim was back to being normal again. He remembered the day his father had taken him back to Palumpolum that night…

"You've changed Hope."

Keeping his hands wrapped around the scarf in his hand the boy looked up at the mention of his name. He wasn't paying much attention.

His dad, Bartholomew Estheim was sitting across from him in the transporting vehicle offered by the military coup. Looking at his father now from this angle, with the dim lighting and his glasses being held in one hand. Hope couldn't find much resemblance in him. People always said he looked more like his mother. Annoying perhaps. But his father was a no nonsense practical man. Both in business and in private life.

Moving his knees up a bit to rest his hands Bartholomew hunched over to his son. What looked like an inspection for injuries soon became a staring contest. Hope didn't blink, he couldn't even if wanted to.

After a while Hope started noticing his father's sad expression. Normally reserved man, but now here he was with more emotions running through his face than he'd ever see his dad show all his life.

"_Control your emotions,"_ whispered the voice of…well his…partner. Remaining still Hope didn't let even a breath out. Conditional reaction.

Feeling his father's hand grab Hope's shoulder the boy finally blinked. And then he saw it. Hope didn't cry when his mother died. He didn't cry when he told his father about mom back in their house as a fugitive. He didn't cry today like Serah did when he handed Lightning's birthday present back.

"Hope. Son…I need to know," was how Bartholomew started his question. Hope saw it coming a mile away.

"Are you alright?"

… … …

… … …

"Hope?"

"Hmm?" Snow nudged his shoulder to see the green light. "Are you alright? Kinda dazed off or something. Light's green we can go now."

Watching Snow lead the way Hope lifted his back carefully avoiding too much swaying of the ice cream in his bag. Following behind he noticed the apartment complex and smiled.

"We made it!" Announced Snow barging in the place with a welcoming empty living room. Closing the door behind him Hope walked straight to the kitchen and put his bag on the small table that once adorned the living room. Before a certain tall idiot managed to break one of its leg, he claimed was an accidental mishap.

Looking at the glued leg of the table Hope still didn't know how solid wood furniture could be so easily broken. His thoughts came to a halt as the man in question walked by him.

"So where are those two?"

Hope shrugged. Looking around he started looking for clues. There were two empty mugs by the kitchen table. A couple of pictures and a small keychain Hope had never seen. Falling back to the living room Hope saw the almost closed sliding door to the outside patio. Motioning to it Hope stayed behind inside to get there bowls and spoons.

Snow went outside and already he could hear the voices between the Farron sister's love hate relationships going on its regularly scheduled interaction.

It took a while for Hope to find the spoons. Reaching for the cupboards he quickly saw the bowls and plates, but the spoons all were missing. Hope remembered getting them a nice cutlery set before their arrival. So where could it…

"Hey, what's taking so long?" Asked Claire closing the sliding door. Hope gave her a quick smile before going back to his search.

"Nothing. Just can't find spoons."

Walking over to the cupboard he just checked she started to reach around. After meeting the same empty conclusion she opened one of the bottom drawers.

"I checked there too." He said as she motioned to the second drawer. A suspicious look from those cerulean eyes made Hope look up curiously at her glance.

Trash can by the kitchen sink filled with paper cups and a visible spoon. They were throwing away non plastic cutlery.

"Maybe I'll just-," offered Hope before she stormed outside.

Too late…

It also didn't help that as he heard Claire's raised voice Hope had casually looked at the bag of ice cream and saw six plastic wrapped spoons Ansel had provided.

Saving face Hope walked towards the door and before he could slide it open he saw the most scorned man being double teamed with no backup. Hope wanted to help. He really did. But he stood there looking through the glass sliding door as he watched Snow apologizing over and over again.

"Why on earth would you throw away those spoons? Snow Hope graciously bought those for us. I said put them in the dishwasher. I'll dry them later."

"I know babe I'm sorry. I didn't know Hope bought them. I thought they were provided by the-"

"This isn't a hotel where you can just barge in and throw things away. Hope took a lot of time making sure-"  
Just double teaming on him. Hope watched silently before waiting for a moment to safely go outside. Finding a pause in Snow's scolding session Hope closed the door outside as he sat on an empty patio chair.

"It's all good, Ansel saved the day for us." Hope chimed in bringing the bowls in front of them. They were all in chairs sitting around a small table. It was past sunset now, but Hope noticed Serah's blue hoddie showing a growing baby bump. Catching him staring Serah raised her hand.

"Want to touch the baby again Hope?" She asked before the man in question smiled back quickly. "No its ok, probably wants to be left alone."

"Yeah? Well our baby is going to be awesome like its parents!" Snow pitched in already passed the previous endeavor. Serah's museful laugh made even Claire smile. It wasn't until Hope started sharing the bowls around and digging into their ice cream that Hope casually noticed someone else staring at Serah's baby bump.

It was natural for an older sister to feel worried about these things he assumed. But Claire didn't seem all too worried, not really. If he didn't know any better…

"Hey Hope? What is this stuff called again?" Snow said lifting his plastic spoon towards Serah. The latter eating the scoopful of red ice cream.

"Raspberry coconut, Li-Claire's favorite. Mint chocolate was my favorite," Hope said turning his attention to the rose haired older woman.

Although instead of greeting him with a smile Hope noticed a barely noticeable tug of her lips. Irritation, barely there…but still there.

Was it the name slip again? Hope noticed Serah's approval hum after tasting the flavor. "This is amazing Claire." Serah said watching the older sibling smile warmly.

There it was again. Hope stopped watching the sisters before resting back on his chair. It was nice outside, there was room for speculation another day.

Feeling a tap on his leg Hope turned to Claire's face. Watching her watch him was becoming more common after the last few days. He said he wouldn't bother speculating. But there was definitely something wrong here.

"I'm going wash the bowls, are you done with yours?" She asked finally as she extended her hand. Hope lifted his bowl and took her hand.

"Yeah I'll help you."

Claire walked with him inside as Snow started making hot beverages for the night. In hindsight this was a nice night out. When Hope suggested to spend some time together Claire thought maybe he meant going out somewhere. But thankfully staying with her sister and her unfortunate husband was more relaxing than she'd originally thought it be.

"Did you see it too?" She heard Hope ask as they walked inside the kitchen away from hearing distance of the couple outside. Looking back at him she burrowed her eyes. He gave her an expecting look before giving up finally.

"Serah is close. Maybe a month or so till the baby arrives," he said as he dipped the first bowl in the sink. Claire's eyes widened at the thought. "Seriously? How did you make that out?" She asked quietly looking back at the closed door to the patio for assurance.

Hope moved the first soaked bowl to the side before answering. He picked up on her curiosity but a part of him was more interested that his suspicion of her staring at Serah's baby bump wasn't about worrying of when to expect. Now things were starting to make sense…

"_Who would have thought…"_

* * *

Later that night Hope had left and offered his apologies about leaving. He had to wake up early for work and Claire at least had a few hours of the morning before heading to work too. Claire agreed and left with him and after saying their goodbyes the two walked outside the apartment complex. Keeping his eyes at the top floors to see the lights of the apartment of Serah's place Hope wondered if Gale and Roger had gotten to know them. The researchers were supposed to stay together, but what became a search for separate rooms was now a useless case. Hope and Claire were sharing the same room now, and a part of him wonders if what Snow said was true.

"_Am I really that dense?"_

"Hope?"

He didn't notice the light post in front of him until it made contact with his head. Cursing at it Hope turned to his side to a worried look. "I was warning you a second ago, you weren't paying attention obviously," she said scolding him while brushing his hair to the side to take a quick look. He was fine really, just a huge wave of embarrassment.

"I'm sorry for not listening. Mind was wandering around," he assured as Claire finished inspecting his forehead. Letting go she took a step back as Hope put on an assuring smile.

Or at least he thought he did. "Ok Hope what's wrong? She asked keeping a straight face which in truth made Hope more confused. All this time, he thought she was the one acting like weird today. He tried being…well Hope.

"Nothing is wrong, I'm just-"

Should have seen the flick coming a mile away, but like always he didn't. A cry of sudden pain made him realize she wasn't going to ask again. Then she surprised him.

"There used to be a time were you didn't keep things from me. You were the one that tried making me talk remember?" She asked as a warmth spread through her face. Hearing this Hope couldn't help but let out a smile. Claire was right.

Maybe the silent pause or the evident blush on her face made him sigh in defeat. "We'll I haven't changed that much. As always I'm worried about something," he admitted shuffling his feet. Hope noticed they had completely stopped walking and the way the night sky was illuminated by the street light, coincidentally on him; made him feel like he was on trial.

Her face softened before stubbornly putting her hands on the pockets of her grey jacket. It was late in August already, but the cool nights were starting to settle in. When Claire starting walking he followed track. Walking past the first stop light they began waiting for the next signal to cross.

"What were you worried about?" She brought up keeping her face nonchalantly. That was the problem though. Hope didn't really want to go this route. If he did there would be no turning back. Secretly there was nothing more he would like than to move forward. But with Claire, you had to be careful. Very careful.

Keeping his hands from sticking together he gambled on a crazy thought. "In a couple of months I'll officially, well technically officially be done with my work here." He started as he paused to turn to her. Claire still pressed on with a blank look. "I'm a director on a program that I didn't know would be such a committing project, so I was thinking…"

"You want to stay longer?" She asked naturally. Keeping his hands from moving too quick he reached for her shoulder. It had been a while since they talked about his work. But she always managed to read him so well.

"I want to quit."

Now she was staring at him. More than one range of emotions ran through her, surprised and concern being the major ones. "What? Why would you…"

Keeping each other's eyes Hope softened his voice, which always translated to 'this is my final decision' way of speaking.

"I'm done here. Alyssa has impressed me despite our initial greetings. I already asked her to take over here, and Gale and Roger they are already heading back home. They said they would take some of the people they met here with them, and that back at home something urgent happened." Hope explained keeping the fuzzy details in check. Truthfully Roger had said something about finding someone back home that he and Gale had been searching for. Hope knew what importance rekindling friendships was like, so he didn't protest when both men made their decisions.

"So does that mean we'll be leaving soon?" She asked before noticing the light turning green. They both quickly walked to the other side before they spoke again. After that they continued their walk to the next corner. "Yes, well actually we'll leave if you want to leave with me." He said suddenly before facing the most threatening look he'd face yet.

"What does that mean?"

"N-nothing! I just, I mean of course I want you to be with me, but you are always free to-"

Hearing a hum of laughter Hope looked at her quietly. That was something he wasn't used to yet. Claire enjoyed teasing him the only way she knew how. By scaring the crap out of him.

"Technically your right. I could just decide to walk away," Claire said looking up at the night sky in question. Hope suddenly hated being so damn articulate about words. Scientist problems right?

Hope kept his pace on par with hers, just in case. "But you know I think I'd be lost without you having my back," she said surprising him. When did he ever have her back? Well, sure they helped each other but if anybody depended on anyone it was the other way around. Right?

"If you say so," were the words that came out of his lips and in return got a side glance. "Watch the sass, Mr. Estheim."

When they finally made it to the final light and the appearance of their apartment complex came in sight Hope noticed something. Out of the corner of his left eye Hope spotted a young woman being chased by a black wearing figure. Its masculine shape was easy identifiable as a man and the woman turned frantically around the corner, "Quelqu'un s'il vous plaît aider! Je étant vole!"

She was being robbed and Hope surprisingly moved more quickly than his mind. No plan in motion Hope studied the man in black attire about his height and the mask around his face giving no further clues. There were no signs of weapons…yet.

Ready to step into action a strong force held him back and as Hope turned to face Claire, he was greeted with Lightning.

Keeping her upper body in a low profile stance she quickly sprinted to the robber. They were only a few yards away and as Hope ran after them he saw something nostalgic.

Keeping her graceful movements she caught up with the culprit and made quick work with him. The stunned look of the culprit went away as he made a move against Lightning. As if her strength and agility was always there she dodged his right hook and elbowed the man in the face. Without wasting anytime she swept her right foot behind the man and swung it forward in full motion. The man was down in the ground within seconds.

Hope keeping his mind in alert walked over to the two and stomped on the robber's right hand that made a move towards his partner.

"Descendez -moi salope!"

Hope startling looked at Claire who had the man pinned on the floor. He may not have been fluent in French but Hope definitely knew what that last word meant.

Responding with pulling the man's elbow back a howl of pain escaped the robber's mouth. Hope looked around quickly for the woman victim who seemed to have disappeared.

"Hope…"

He turned to Claire and saw a glint of her old self. A little taken back he gave his attention to the man on the floor.

"Call the police."

After twenty minutes of the police coming through and taking into custody the culprit the woman came back with an older man beside her. After answering the few questions the police had for Hope and Claire the woman stepped forward.

"Oh merci. Merci beaucoup. Je ai apporté mon mari pour aider, mais je suis heureux que vous étiez en mesure de gérer ce fluage!" She said mostly looking at Claire. The two women talked in French as Hope looked at the woman's husband. They didn't say much to each other, just nodded heads in appreciation.

Afterwards the police decided to wrap it up and left with the culprit. Hope and Claire continued on their way home. When they made it inside their apartment Hope walked quietly to their room. He wasn't sure how to approach this. One minute they were talking about leaving France, the next a robber tries fighting them, well Claire actually. He just stood there.

* * *

Brushing aside his shirt he reached for a blue long sleeve t shirt he wore to sleep. He didn't hear Claire's footsteps when she beat him to the bed. Already sitting on top away from him.

"Go ahead Hope say it. Tell me it was stupid of me to get involved."

Raising his eyes at her he walked beside her side of the bed. Sitting to the side he watched her carefully. Her face was still red, if it was out of the adrenaline rush or the sense of foolishness and embarrassment he couldn't tell.

Still Hope couldn't help but let a smirk escape his lips. Not paying attention Claire stiffened as he reached for her right arm.

"Didn't hurt yourself did you?

"….No."

Hope hummed in agreement before letting go gently. As he did so he pulled her back with him. "What are you doing Hope?"

"So you still got it huh?"

"I-w what do you mean-" she couldn't finish her sentence before Hope interrupted her lips with his. He knew better than this so he made it quick and in return Claire's face warmed up again.

Hope laughed at her reaction and for a moment he sees her smiling at him. It had been a while since he laughed like that. Keeping his face down Claire copied his movements.

"Thanks for having my back," she responded as he protested. "I didn't do anything." Hearing her copy his coyness Hope stopped laughing.

"You made sure he didn't go for something with his hand, or me for that matter." Hope mumbled in disagreement. "What is it with you Hope? I don't think you're the same Hope I knew, the younger you would dance around for a complement."

At this Hope blinked in response. It had been a while since his childhood had been brought up, but as she teased him Hope chuckled at the thought.

"Is that what you want? Me running around praising you when you do something cool?"

She scoffed at the thought, "Who wouldn't?"

"That's true I guess."

Keeping his posture relaxed he looked at the white ceiling. There was a height he could never reach when it came to measuring up to his expectations. Yet he was always glad he wasn't alone.

Feeling a hand tug his Hope looked beside him as Claire kept a serious face again. "I'm ready to go when you are. We're each other's partners right?"

Hope grinned back as he noticed her reasoning sounding much like his. "As long as you promise not to lock my elbow like that guy. Yes I'll gladly be your partner."

Rolling her eyes at him she let go of his hand before lifting herself from the bed. "Where are you going Claire?"

Pointing to the bathroom she walked of, "I'm going to take a quick shower, that guy smelled pretty badly of alcohol."

Hope got up in his sitting position, "need any help?"

"No. I think I can manage a bit of water," she said closing the door behind her. After a few minutes passed Hope got a text message from work.

**Hope need you at the office downstairs to sign some paperwork tomorrow to make it official. Thank you.**

Alyssa's message still in his mind Hope couldn't help but think of the new assistant. Truth be told the more he spent time with her the more he noticed Alyssa acted like….some guardian angel. If it wasn't running in late with no card key to enter the lab or getting stuck on an application through his work she was there to assist. Always carried answers and seemed to be very headstrong to boot. He knew she was going to do a fine job as his replacement. Although as time went on he couldn't help but feel like he knew her from some place.

After the door to the bathroom opened a gush of steam escaped along with a pink haired woman covered with a bath towel.

Putting his phone back to the drawer Claire walked passed him. "Somebody called you?"

"No, Alyssa texting me to be there tomorrow to fill the paperwork to replace me." He said shifting around to his side of the bed. Claire didn't say anything. Hope noticed she rarely did when Alyssa's name was brought up.

"Hope are you sure about this?" Claire asked reaching for her clothing on her drawer. Hope turned his back in response. "About Aylssa taking over? Yeah I'm positive about that."

Hearing her empty response Hope turned to her as Claire got dressed in her pink tank top and pajamas. He watched Claire get to her side of the dresser before Hope decided to ask her something.

"Hey Claire? If we do go back home, where will you go?"

Hearing a chuckle escape her lips Hope watched her turn off the lights by the switch near her side of the wall.

"Tch. Roommate problems Hope?" In the dark he could feel one of her toes brushing passed his. "I can sign you on a lease if you want," Hope said resting his head on his pillow.

"Oh yeah? How long?

"Forever."

"Non negotiable?"

"I'm afraid not."

Feeling one of her arms loop around his Hope closed his eyes. If this was how things would be for the rest of his life, no better bargain could tempt him.

"I'm going to hold you on that, forever part." She said breathing into his chest. Hope mumbled in agreement.

"Please do so."


	8. Patiently waiting

**Author's Notes: Hello again everybody! I'm happy to post another chapter and in addition already made my other work presented. It's called "600,104,973 Times Over". Think of it as what goes on during the small breaks between this story's progressions. Mostly how Hope deals with his team at work (Ace and his group) and Claire's relationship. I loved how dedicated Square Enix was to the nova crystallis fabula universe that surrounds the same mythos of Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy XIII Agito (Type 0). Of course Final Fantasy XV is also a part of the universe, but since I don't know much and to be honest Agito and XIII already share so much in story and even trivial similarities. I hope you enjoy the story as it goes through its final chapters and thanks for the support. I've read all reviews and enjoyed what you all had to say. Just bear with me a little longer and we'll finish this story soon. In the meantime enjoy!**

_**Hope: Well done Light. But what are you going to do with all those adornments? Maybe you could wear them yourself. If you followed her lead, you could attract just as much attention.**_

_**Lightning: Hope, that's the worst idea you've ever had.**_

_**Lightning Returns (Adoring adornments side quest)**_

He was still awake. He was still a coward. How long had he been pretending to be working on a late assignment? How much of it did Claire believe? How can he deny the fact that she was in his bedroom sleeping and he was at the dining room staring at a book completely spaced out?

He could do it. Lie to himself. Explain to himself that you see, he had too much coffee and the caffeine wouldn't let him sleep. But that was a lie. And that was why he was a coward, even back in those times he was out of his mind. What do you call it again? When you lie so much that you start believing in your own lies? That's what he was anyways.

False Hope.

And why not? The what if game? What if he wasn't such a lost cause and could go to sleep next to Claire? What then? He was such a coward…

"Hope?"

Looking up from his book under the dim table lamp by his dining table/work desk he saw her shadow behind him. Turning around to see her watchful and equally silent expression made him nervous. More so that before he could speak up he dropped the book from his tired grip. Hearing the thud of the fallen book he reached down quickly to retrieve it before Claire beat him too it. Slowly folding a tip of one of the pages she began closing the bookmarked manual.

Well here it was at last. No more running away, her eyes were steady and even worse her lips didn't tug from the sides. There were no smiles to be had. Let's see how he can run out of this predicament.

Somehow surprising him she put the book by her side and walked a few steps away from him. Realizing that her actions had made Hope mute, he began searching for things to say. Until she beat him to it again.

"I want you to follow me."

Still silent he followed her to the front of the door of his- or rather 'their' home. It had been over two weeks since they arrived from France and they were back in their local home where Serah, Snow, and the others resided within miles. Hope had given Claire a copy of his keys now that they started living together, although admittedly with more awkwardness than anything. They didn't do anything different in France, but he guessed maybe after being with him Claire had finally gotten tired of dealing with his crap. He didn't blame her either.

Sitting down at the steps of the front door she motioned for him to close the door and sit next to her. When Hope did so they sat in silence watching the casual car pass over the street in the dark.

"Does this feel familiar?" She asked him resting an arm on her left knee Claire had bend forward. Hope was sitting with his hands wrapped around each other. Looking back in thought the flashback of his younger self and the strong older Lightning sitting together as she explained the origins of her nickname. The first time she had opened up to anyone about her personal life outside Serah for that matter.

Hearing his voice croak slightly Hope nodded back. "Yeah I do. We sat down and you told me about yourself, all because you wanted to help me. A kid who was too young and naive to understand why hatred shadowed logic." Hope pressed on as Claire raised her eyes at him. "You saved me that day."

"I thought so too," she started before giving him the same look from when they were inside moments ago. "But here we are again, so where do we from here partner?"

Startled he looked back with confusion, "What do you mean?" Keeping her eyes steady she motioned to his hands, "How is it that you can't keep your hands steady as you used to? I've been with you for a while now, and honestly you've been acting differently since we left France. I want to know why you still haven't told me the truth."

He paused for a moment before looking back to the front driveway. It was easier this way, because if what she wanted was the truth. There was no way he was going to simply give her bits and parts of the facts, and maybe when he finished telling her everything Claire might not think that Hope Estheim was as great as people praised him to be.

Where to begin? Hope sighed slowly before looking back at her. When he did she still had the same calm expression, steadily waiting to hear what he had to say.

"You were gone for so long, by that time people were just looking an excuse to give up," he started as Claire slowly let it sink Hope was talking about the 'Chaos Era'. "For over a hundred years none of us aged, people aren't supposed to last that long. I think…well I at least felt that as years went by everything became devalued." Admittedly ashamed Hope began shifting around his position as Claire continued to listen. Although Hope could see the guilt in her eyes, something that didn't belong there.

"I think the first time I lied to everyone was when I was chosen to lead the people. Right off the bat I told them all that there was something out there in Grand Pulse. That our new Cocoon; the same home that the Academy essentially forced all people to move into…was to be evacuated." Hope kept looking at her from moments at a time as she still didn't change her expression.

"One lie led to another and before I knew it, lying had become a norm for me. Everything was essentially false or an excuse as to why the Conseil de Renaissance couldn't control the chaos infused in our world. Sometimes I wish I'-"

Feeling the whack across his forehead Hope flinched as Claire recoiled in an alarming rate. "Are you serious? You've been acting this way because of what happened back then? I should hit you again just for being such an idiot." Claire kept her anger incredibly in hidden sight. Hope had begun searching for a good apology, but before he could he felt her embrace.

"There's another part that I didn't tell you back then, when we sat and I told you how I became Lightning," she started as Hope let his head rest on one of her shoulders. "In order for me to be a part of the Guardian Corps, I had to take a few courses that were regiments for a big physical test."

Hope felt her heartbeat the closer she held him enough for him to ask, "You didn't have the best results to just get in?"

Feeling the vibration of her soft laughter as she held him Claire finally answered flatly, "I failed my test three times Hope. I had to get Amodar to get me another shot after the first three attempts, the board in charge of the Guardian Corps required a special audience for repetitive failed applicants." Claire released him as he settled closely. Surprised at the revelation Hope slowly thought back on his vague knowledge of the Guardian Corps. If he was correct on the small information that he had, wasn't her regiment the weakest of the five divisions?

"You were part of the Bodhum security regiment right? Did they give you harder tests?" Hope asked slowly trying to put the pieces together. He wasn't sure how Bodhum worked, but where he was born in Polumpolum, the corps there were simple patrol officers. Most of them lazy if he recalled.

She was surprised that Hope had already asked this much out of her, it was a start. "No I started out with 'The Calvary' or the GC-WARB for short. I tried to make it there but like I said, failed three times." Looking back in thought Claire kept eyeing the slower count of cars that casually came and went. Hope didn't press forward. There was so much he didn't know about her after all. He wanted to know more, ask more questions. But somehow this wasn't supposed to be about her, Claire was trying to get him to talk.

"I see, so you got your job though right? In Bodhum I mean?" Hope leaned in on one knee while Claire looked at him in thought. "Yes, the pay wasn't close to what WARB would offer, but since I couldn't make the cut, I opted for the regiment back home. I supported my sister with that job."

"But that doesn't answer my question does it? Why do you keep bringing up those memories, have you forgotten something important?" Claire asked finally trying to keep the conversation on track. Hope looked down in thought.

Honestly? He wasn't even sure. "I feel like I'm missing something," Hope said out loud although mostly speaking through his thought process.

Raising her head up Claire looked surprised at his tone. It was very much like the tone 'that' Hope in the arc had…the soulless vessel.

Feeling her own heartbeat get louder she asked the one question she was afraid of. Something that Claire didn't want to bring up, but knew that if she needed proof that 'her' Hope was alive…that question had to be asked.

"Hope? Bhunivelze…you're not-I mean he's not a part of-"

Before she could finish Hope shook his head eagerly. "No. That's over, I'm my own self." Hope left it at that.

Claire didn't show it, but she was stuck with him. And in truth Hope was trying to assist her, but he wasn't close to getting to the point. The final truth that she needed to know.

Feeling the last chance coming through Hope looked at her steadily, just like she did so with him minutes ago. "Claire, I need you to know something. But I need you to understand that if I say something, anything that may seem like it's too much….please promise me you'll hear me out alright?"

She felt her heart stop both in fear and in happiness. He was opening up finally. "Of course I'll listen Hope."

* * *

Letting a few breaths in he looked up at the stars. The same ones that he and his mother looked over the eleventh night before the Purge. "I did everything in my power to get Fang and Vanille out of those crystal pillars. You already know the story of how Serah and Noel came and met with me. In doing so I discovered, well technically rediscovered the effects of time travel. How to change the future and how to change the past." Hope said following a set of stars that shined brighter than the rest. "I won't pretend that when I found out about changing past events was…a possibility my first thought came to my mother." He looked back at her with his eyes glazed over. He didn't cry, he couldn't.

"I did everything. Anything to get my mother to come back to me. I told myself I was selfish, but I didn't care. My goals had been to keep you, Fang, Vanille, and mother back to me. But then it didn't work out and I went away myself for a while…" Hope pressed his lips as Claire remained still. Listening to every word with equal weight.

"Then of course you saved me, and even did something I could never repay you with. You made my parents, my father who had passed away before he could see me lead the Academy entirely, and of course my mother who didn't even get to see me through adulthood." He reached over to her now. One hand over hers. Blue eyes meeting green eyes.

"You sacrificed yourself to keep all of us together, to have my final fantasy come to life. Reunite with my family in a world where there were no Fal'Cies or deities. There was nothing I wanted more than that, and you knew that Claire." Hope said feeling his own chest get heavier.

"That is why, I didn't take mom's hand when she reached out for me…" Hope looked at her with an expression Claire had never seen before. It was unnerving and she wanted to move back in confusion, but she remembered her words and kept still. She would listen to everything, even if she was to be blamed for-

"So I took your hand instead."

Feeling his grip on her hand that rested by her knee Claire looked at him taken back. He felt this strongly about her? Circumstances….circumstances and fate is what Claire held responsible for Hope's partnership thus far. They cared for each other, like a special bond even. But she had no idea that, even then 'her' Hope had been waiting for her.

"Claire? Did you hear me?" Hope asked nervously but determined with a look that she saw him have when he was working with a difficult task. She was the one stunned now, and if she was honest that faint part of her…the Lumina that laid dormant in her was relieved.

Feeling her eyes flutter a few times before catching a sentence, "I um, I heard how you picked me yes, but I wasn't expec-

"I'm sorry I said it too fast," Hope said with a flash of embarrassment while he still held her hand quietly. Not realizing that his hand had gripped hers gently.

"Claire will you marry me?"

It was quiet again. To his credit Hope didn't move and Claire didn't blink. She heard him right? Was he crazy?!

Serah was going to have her baby (a boy according to Snow) anytime now. Hope was still positioned to continue his job, but needed a month to process his work over. The idiot wanted to marry her?! Now of all times?

So why couldn't she complain to him? Why couldn't she move? Feeling scared as much as confused Claire kept looking at his eyes. He had been waiting for a while. She could read that from his expression. 'Her' Hope wasn't gone, he was still there. Nervous, unsure, hesitant, and loving. Smart, sassy, handsome, confident, and thoughtful were traits he carried passively, but so long as the main attributes never left…

"_We aren't ready yet. This is a rash decision Hope. We need to talk more about this later_," are the answers in her mind she felt were the 'right' answers.

If only her conscience would have listened…

"Yes. I'll marry you Hope."

… … …

… … …

… … …

* * *

_**(Seven years later)**_

"Alright who's next?"

Aaron placed the strangely designed coat away that aunt Fang and Vanille provided. He wasn't crazy about the tribal shapes around it, but wow was it comfy.

Surprisingly enough his mother who he shared so much in common with had a small box in her hands. Walking down beside him she reached over his forehead and kissed it just the way he hated it, in front of everybody. Still he knew better than to protest, one time he tried that; his mom purposely played with his hair when they walked to school one day. Ever since that day Aaron learned to just take the eight seconds of affection like a man.

"I think you'll like this one," she whispered as the box was handed over to the six year old's hands. Aaron looked around at his family. Uncle Sazh and his older son Dajh kept peeking over the table at the present with curiosity.

"Unless you made that present yourself Claire, Light loves our present. Right darling?" Aunt Fang asked keeping her typical smug teasing smirk at the boy.

Aaron held his breath politely. He loved his two aunts, but how long would they keep calling him by that nickname? Light. It wasn't a bad one, his dad did say that his name originated as 'bringer of light'. But his dad was cheesy sometimes.

Honestly, how cool could you be with that nickname? He was sure his mother would agree.

Looking back at Fang he smiled at her politely. "But isn't the coat special anyways? You said that aunt Vanille designed the shapes out of happy memories right? So it's not fair to compare it isn't it?" He asked slowly letting his mind process the facts flawlessly.

Hearing a soft chuckle from the orange haired woman, Vanille winked at her partner next to her. "As sharp as Hope, but he's right Fang! Our gift is too perfect to compare."

Snow who was behind the cam recorder, as he had been since the party began kept moving between Aaron and Claire. "Alright then, let's see what's inside kiddo."

A look of curiosity was all the pink haired woman showed as Aaron began to unwrap his present wordlessly. Lifting the top of the box he lifted up the soft fabric and inspected it for a while. He didn't seem all that interested, but when Aaron looked up at his mother to say his thanks he noticed his dad staring at the present.

His father was sitting down with Faith in his lap, her favorite spot as always. When Aaron saw his similar eyes that belonged to his father gloss over. Did he miss something here?

"_I mean it's just a scarf. Isn't' it?"_ Aaron asked himself as the slowly built curiosity within came out. Giving his present another chance he unfolded the scarf up and saw the designs.

Ok the scarf was nice. Actually it was really cool, green was his favorite color. The tribal markings were designed to make the shape of wings as the scarf was folded.

"Try it," his mother said reading his mind. Aaron did so and tugged his scarf around his neck with the casual help from his mom. When he was done fixing the scarf he looked around at a nod of appreciation from the group. His aunt Serah smiled fondly as if remembering something while his cousin Jack just shrugged at him as he went back to his cake.

When he turned to see his dad though. He was smiling at him, but differently though. There was pride in his expression, and although Aaron knew his dad never liked boasting…the boy couldn't help but feel taller. He was six after all.

"Happy birthday Aaron," his mother whispered again in a hug. He just moved his smaller hands into his pockets.

"Mom…you're squeezing me."

* * *

"Hope your squeezing me, let go already." She warned quietly. To think that moments ago she wanted her 'Hope' back the way she remembered. Maybe this was her fault.

"No."

She tried shoving his arms off politely. "I already said yes, I'm not going to run off like in those soap operas." At this Hope poked his head from her shoulder.

"I thought you said you hated them?" Whatever random sense of curiosity from the luckiest guy in the world made her sigh in a tired fashion.

Great. Now she had to explain herself and her guilty pleasure. Honestly she didn't even care about the drama shows, the secret of learning French as well as she did was because of those reruns. And of course the tragedy of Jean Louis's childhood friend that was forced to leave him at a young age only to be reunited by the man's stay at the hospital. And in cue his sweet friend who grew up to be a beautiful nurse attended his injuries.

That was a good one, maybe she could find the later episodes on the internet….

"Claire?"

Looking back down at her fiancée she gave him a defeated smile. "We need to tell Serah about this."

Unfazed Hope looked at her curiously, "Of course. But um-you spaced out a moment ago right? I asked if you think one day maybe we could have ki-"

She got away quickly. For both their sakes. "Easy Estheim. Your way over your head."

Hope didn't seem upset at that. He slowly got up from the front of the steps. Handing his hand to her again he smiled knowingly instead. "You already said yes. You'll grow to like Serah and Snow's baby. Just watch that boy is going to make you want one."

Feeling like the man in front of her morphed into a strange alien Claire took his hand and lifted herself up. "Let's just go to bed. We'll tell Serah and Snow the news tomorrow."

"And Hope?"

"Yeah?"

They both walked to their bedroom beside each other.

"No more baby talk business. I've already agreed to one impulse decision."

Hearing Hope's amusing laugh she raised her eyebrows at him. "What's so funny?"

"You're so stubborn Light."

"Well if that's going to-"

"But your 'my' stubborn Light."

… … …

… … …

"Let's just go to sleep Hope. If you still feel the same about all this in the morning. I'll berate you then for not having a ring ready."

Reaching their bed Hope flinched at the reminder of what should be every man's most important item when in the arts of proposing. The actual ring itself.

He had one. Looking around to his dresser a pair of slim hands pulled him back. "Did you hear me? I said tomorrow. It's late enough as it is, if I don't get my rest it will only add more fuel to the fire when I lay out the flaws of your idea of a proposal."

It sounded harsh, but Hope knew she was covering her real feelings. How did he know? Simple…

Both in bed Hope waited for it, it wouldn't take this long for her to turn around and-

"Are you sure?"

Expecting to have her move to her usual position, leaning into his chest she opted to be on her side with an earnest look of unsureness. Breaking tradition Hope was the one to scoot over to her instead while pulling her locks of wavy pink hair away from the top of her face. Those cerulean eyes looked at him in question before Hope answered her in his own favorite fashion. Just brushing his lips over her forehead the typical protest began.

"Hope…you know I hate it when you do that," she said looking at him with a mild frown. Only mild because he could see her body shifting more comfortably.

"Whatever you say Ms. Farron," he shot back feeling her move her head against his shoulder. Hope could be patient. It wouldn't be long until 'Mrs. Estheim' would be a part of their teasing bed rituals.


	9. They didn't even know it

_**Hope: Light, you're being unusually kind to these two.**_

_**Lightning: Are you saying I'm usually not kind to people?**_

_**Hope: In that case, the right present should do the trick, I'd say.**_

_**Lightning: Listen to you. All of a sudden you're an expert on love? I haven't seen this side of you before, Hope.**_

**\- Quotes from Lightning Returns (Adoring Candice side quest)**

"Sir, I understand your concern but your wife is already recuperating, I'm sorry but she needs to rest right now. She's well and your baby is in our nursery for observation," said the nurse by the front desk as Snow paced behind the two locked doors that separated him from his wife.

"I know…I just need a minute to see my wife that's all," Snow pleaded moving to the side as another nurse went by to pick up his paperwork.

Hope stood by the wall next to the chairs in the waiting room as he watched Snow plead with the head nurse for the fourth time already. Sensing the nurse losing her patience Hope walked over to Snow and peeked at the lady. "Sorry he's just really worried. We were both at the mall shopping for the baby when we got the call. Well I'm sure you will understand," Hope smiled politely as the nurse eyed both men hesitantly.

Then she sighed. "I do understand. But like I told Mr. Villiers his wife needs to be resting and her sister came with her so we already made one exception. I'm sorry, but for now you gentlemen will have to wait," the nurse said getting up and to leave. She turned around one last time and nodded knowingly, "I will come back and see when the doctor thinks its fine to allow visitors for Mrs. Villiers. Excuse me."

And like that she left. Hope looked at the taller and future brother in law tense up. Hope had never seen Snow look so defeated. Normally even when fighting monsters that were fifty times his size he'd have his confidence in check. Right now though….

"Hey lets go sit down a while. Remember Claire is there with her, I can text her to find out how's she's doing alright?" Hope proposed as he reached for his phone in his pocket.

Snow sighing in defeat turned around and walked to the set of chairs, "That's not the point Hope. I should be there with her. I've been by her side all these last few weeks, yet Light decides to keep her company while I head out and that's when the baby decides to arrive." He sat down with his hands against his head. Hope joined him while putting his phone up. He texted Claire anyways.

"I'm glad both Serah and the baby are ok. Although I do wonder if…" Hope cursed himself for saying too much. "_Crap! I can't bring that up now, Snow's already upset enough."_ Hope thought to himself before realizing that Snow had stared back.

"What Hope?" Snow asked worriedly as Hope looked around nervously. Not the best way to cheer up a friend. Still he couldn't lie to Snow, might as well speak his mind.

"Well I was just- you know your baby is a boy. So I just wondered how-well his name would have to be decided b-" Hope was interrupted by a sigh of relieve. Now the young researcher was confused.

Snow looked at him cheerfully, "We already decided. Serah and I agreed on Jack."

"Jack?" Hope repeated back thinking of its origin. It was short and simple. But that was all he could think of. Snow resting a hand over his head smiled at him knowingly. "I know it doesn't sound as cool, I didn't think so either. But Serah was explaining to me that many philosopher and independent individuals are named Jack. Serah is running a coffee business but her passion is teaching and I am a free spirit right?"

Hope nodded at the logic. "So your son is the best of both worlds."

Clicking his right index finger at him Snow winked, "Exactly kid."

Hope smiled finally having Snow relax a bit. Normally he would correct Snow on the 'kid' name, but just this time he would pass on that.

* * *

Hope kept his hands around his coffee cup as he waited for Claire to come back. She seemed a bit upset over something, she didn't bother saying anything in front of him and Snow. Hearing the chair next to him move Hope lifted his attention to the pink haired woman with her eyes glued at the head nurse.

Hope's mother was a very warm person. Except of course he recalled one incident where Nora did lose her patience. It was scary, as much as Hope had been spoiled he never did spend much time hanging with the other rich kids around him. His hometown of Palumpolum was a commonwealth sector well known for its designer stores and commerce. Wealthiest of the wealthiest lived there, and Hope was isolated from most people in school. Except for two years when he met three set of friends, two of which went to school with him. Kai a boy who befriended Hope who wished to be a pilot for the military one day and Elida a girl who had a passion for singing. And for telling both boys what to do.

They all had gone on a school fieldtrip one day and what started as a simple request to get a better angle at a picture for Kai's younger brother Hal back home; Hope's third friend who was too young to go with them, ended with all three kids wandering off into a restricted area in the wilderness. Hope got scolded by his mother like never before. She had this look on her face, Hope remembered; that eye of the storm that casted a gut feeling that something was wrong. He'd never apologized so many times in one sentence that day.

He never got to see 'that' look again for a while. But one thing that Hope remembered about that expression his mother had was best described as well….maternal. In its most rare form of course.

So why did Claire have that same look and he felt like he was in trouble? Hope made an attempt to test his theory.

"So tell me, pink hair?"

No response. Hope tried again this time thinking of the name Snow and Serah had chosen. "Jack is a nice name, did Snow tell you the story?"

Giving one final stare at the nurse in her desk Claire turned her attention to Hope and suddenly 'that' look was gone. She smiled at his question even. "Yeah, Serah wants her son to be a philosopher, better that then riding motorcycles all day." She added looking at the empty chair where Snow was sitting.

Hope laughed softly at the jab of the father in question. He took a sip of his coffee before asking what Serah thought of the baby's hair.

Until that set the trigger. Glaring partially at the nurse again she mumbled a few lines that didn't sound like it was directed at him.

"Dunno they took Jack away from her after a few seconds of giving birth. She didn't even get a chance to take a good look at him." The anger that was building was starting to make Hope raise his head in question.

He read somewhere that when babies are born they almost immediately take them to get their feet pricked and tested to make sure they are in good health. Normal medical procedures.

"I'm sure it was necessary," Hope assured before taking another sip of his coffee. At least he tried, the stare of death wouldn't let him.

There it was again. That maternal look, Hope saw in his mother when he got in trouble after school.

"Really Hope? Serah gives birth to her own flesh and blood and the first thing nurses think is necessary, is to remove the baby from their mother? Its bullshit is what that is," Claire scoffed as Hope nodded his head slowly.

He needed to retreat and quickly. "Not even a quick glance?" Claire looked down slowly before letting a sigh. "A glance yes, but a mother should be able to hold their baby."

Hope wanted to ask why she was the one so mad. She wasn't the one giving birth, but of course the left part of his brain assessed the situation and agreed it would be suicide let alone stupid to ask her that.

"I agree."

There was a neutral silence before Hope turned to the left empty chair beside him. When Claire received his text message it didn't take long before she came back through the procedure room. Snow had already zoomed past her the moment it was clear for him to go in while Hope stayed behind with the older Farron sister.

Looking at his watch Hope noticed they had already been here for over an hour. It was minutes past four in the afternoon. Looking back up at his partner Hope stopped his upcoming question about the baby when he saw Claire's trance. It was a rare sight, but he was happy to see these little surprises.

"Something on your mind?" He asked instead. Blinking in response her eyes became focused again and the gentle look was gone. "Just thinking about Serah. It's a bit surreal to see her get married and go through child birth," she looked back at her pendant her sibling gave her. "I had to wait an eternity to see her this happy, now here we are going through all this."

Hope looked back down at his cup. Barely anything left he placed in the empty seat beside him. "You know sometimes I think your seeking out to win sister of the year award a little too much." Narrowing her eyes at him she followed amusingly. "Meaning?"

Putting his hands by the edge of his chair he smiled knowingly, "She's always been happy so long as you're around. Remember after her wedding? And the 'suggestions' she made to you?"

Realizing what he meant she turned her head away hiding a smirk. "She was just happy…so much that she wanted to share it with me." Claire looked back at him flatly. "Besides we all know how that turned out."

* * *

_(3 years ago)_

"Sazh just let him do it."

The older man looked incredulously at the younger man who looked up from his packet of papers. Sazh was the one with the experience here, it was his job to set the groom straight.

"No no no uh huh. Not on my watch," Sazh pointed his hand at Hope warningly. "And you are supposed to be the best man. How could you agree to such a thing? No way we getting away with this without Lightning having our heads." Sazh finished looking at Snow who was curiously quiet the whole time.

And for good reason too. Whenever it came to getting through with Sazh, Hope was usually the best weapon. Finally reaching a stopping point the young researcher put his clipboard down to one of the guest tables close by. Looking around at the slow traffic of guests making their way around the closest tables Hope nodded in approval. He was the best man, and as such he coordinated mostly the entire reception with the casual approval stamp of the older Farron sister. But as the best man his primary job also was to make sure the groom was relaxed and focused on his big day. So his good cop bad cop routine with Sazh had to be tested a few times. But it was okay, he already knew how to get through the pilot.

"You know Light isn't going to say anything now, after all Serah and I are married. This is just the celebration party right?" Snow reasoned hiding his growing smirk before Sazh corrected him. "No it's not a party it's a reception. You know formal stuff, and if we're going to have a rowdy event you might as well count me out because I know Lightning wont-"

"I won't what?"

All three men in their circle went silent as the woman in question stood behind them with basket. Handing it to Sazh she looked at him again, "What won't I do?"

Giving the silver haired man a 'I told you so' look Hope casually went back to his paperwork as he realized the chair count didn't match up. He walked away safely. By the time he was on the other side of the ball room he already could hear the protests.

"Are you trying to push my buttons Snow!? Because I promise you, brother in law or not I will end you if you even dare make this place into a circus."

Vanille turned to Hope confusingly as she helped unfold the chairs. "Is something wrong Hope?" Pursing his lips thoughtfully he shrugged.

"I don't know, nice dress by the way."

Blinking at the compliment she turned around in her lilac dress, "Thank you! Fang helped pick it out, I've never worn this type of color before. But Fang says I looked great in it so…"

Nodding in response he finished arranging the four seats around the new table. "Where is Fang?"

Looking around Hope failed to see the raven haired woman before Vanille winked back at him. "She's not here yet. But just wait until she makes, if you think I look nice you should see her in her dress."

At this Hope looked down in thought. Fang in a dress? That would be interesting.

After a while the reception had started after the guests filled up the room and while the music played on Hope continued his job as he inspected the wedding cake. Three towers high and four branches out, a total of seven cakes with the one in the bottom center being the largest.

"How's your hostage?"

Turning around at Claire who had a drink in hand he chuckled lightly. "Looking as delicious as I'd hoped, but quiet as ever."

She nodded as she sipped her drink before cursing as a drop escaped her lips. His eyes couldn't help but follow the drop down her chin. Lighting wore a maroon dress that slimmed down elegantly into ruffles. She was beautiful for sure, but Hope had already pried away before she became suspicious.

"It's almost a quarter till eight so if you want me to make an announcement for the groom and bride to start cutting the cake I will," Hope suggested pointing at his watch. The pink haired woman just looked at him funny, "Aren't you supposed to be looking over Snow?"

At this the young man really tried hard not to rest a hand by his hip, there was a false rumor going around that Hope Estheim could be sassy when pushed. That simply wasn't true.

"He's a bit preoccupied. What about you Ms. Bridesmaid why aren't you looking over Serah?"

She smiled in response. Looking towards the group of dancing guests was the married pair dancing away in laughter.

"She's a bit preoccupied as well."

Hope turned back to the cake setting the last few plates around carefully. He was almost done before settling down the wedding knife and server before he heard another man interrupt.

"Hey there you are, I was getting myself a drink. Want to dance now?" The man said looking eagerly at Lightning. The guy was wearing a nice suit just like Hope, but even the young researcher had to admit this guy had a really nice jawbone.

Turning around in instinct Hope pretended to look over his list again before he heard her mumble away.

"Hope go ahead and make the announcement in ten minutes." She turned to the man again. "Sure let's go."

Like that Hope watched as the two made their way into the dance floor as a part of him grew a mixture of dislike and awe. The anger that subtly sparked within at the guy for ruining his conversation and the awe that Lighting Farron had agreed to dance.

Hope purposely watched the two dance and although the ten minutes soon came up he saw the man continued to stay with her in the dance floor, as much as he hated it he waited a few minutes. If Lightning was having fun, why couldn't things be off schedule for a while?

Five minutes after eight Hope made the announcement on the stage and the people began making their way around the table by the cake. Making sure he was positioned close by Snow he couldn't help but smile. He and Snow had a strange friendship indeed. From trying to kill him, to being each other wingmen during the dark times in the other world. Now here they were with their friends and loved ones all coming together in joy.

"You ready hun?" Snow asked putting his hand over the petite ones. Serah giggled as Snow started to guide her cut a large piece. Hope internally cringed at the calculations. There was plenty of cake to go around, but he didn't take into consideration how the brawny groom ate.

After the polite claps of the people they all formed their lines as the cake began being distributed. Hope watched back silently as Snow and Serah sat in their table happily.

"I love this, what is it again Hope?" Serah asked biting a piece of her cake. Hope looked up cheerfully, "It's got a café cream with almonds mixed in. Lightning picked it out."

Snow nodded with a mouthful, "Mfph, weve it to sif". Hope shook his head as he looked at the guests to his left. Vanille and Fang were talking to Lighting. Fang was wearing an elegant azure dress and Hope admirably admitted Vanille had been right.

Seeing his eyes look at the three Fang raised an eyebrow at him. "Careful with those eyes love." She was just teasing. That's who she was, but Hope had flustered away quietly. Looking for Sazh.

When he met up with the man Hope had a great conversation over aerodynamics.

"Anyways the military has me in this project. Somethin' about designing a plane that can stay up in the air without having a flow field," Sazh said resting an arm over his chair.

Hope gulped a bit too much on his drink, "A hover craft?"

Sazh pressed a finger motioning to keep it quiet. Hope mused at the thought. Here he thought the technology they left behind was long gone. Maybe not so much after all.

"Hey there pretty lady, that for me? You shouldn't have." Sazh said looking at Lightning approaching with two plates of cakes. She put them in front of both men before resting a hand on her hip.

"You two were either too lazy to wait in line or smart enough to know I wouldn't let you two go without a slice," she commented as Sazh looked up mocked like he was offended.

Turning to Hope the man picked up his fork, "Well I don't know about Hope, but I like to think of myself as an opportunist. Ya know? Wait and see is the name of the game."

Hope already quietly ate his cake. It was very good and he turned to her thankfully. "Thanks for having our backs."

She smiled gently before her eyes scanned his and the smile turned into a light frown. "Wish I could say the same thing about you Hope."

At this Sazh let the piece of cake drop from his fork as his mouth was open still. Closing it quickly he reached for a napkin to clean his mess. "What happened? Hope wha'd you do now kid?"

Hope glanced up surprised as he moved the cake around. "N-nothing! I didn't do-"

Lightning sat down next to him with her hands crossed around her chess. He wasn't sure if she knew this made her chest area more…freed.

"I told you to make the announcement at eight. And you purposely waited didn't you?"

At this Hope shrugged involuntarily and Sazh looked up confused.

"So? You seemed to be having fun dancing with that guy." Hope sounded a bit too defensively and almost immediately Sazh rolled his eyes, already figuring out where this was going.

"_Great. These two again…"_

"Alright I'll be right back,"Sazh said getting up from the table. He turned as Hope looked at him for support. "I got to go find Dajh, he's probably playing with the other kids. A dad has to make sure his child isn't up to something mischievous." Sazh walked away before giving the young man a look of sympathy.

Hope didn't understand, he decided to take another bite of the cake.

"And now," Lightning started again narrowing her eyes at him. "Now Serah is giving me advice to go after this guy, I was just being polite. She is even trying to convince Snow to talk to this guy after the reception. This is her day and she's playing match maker for me," she said massaging her temple.

Hope poked his mouth as the fork in his hand ran out of cake. He hadn't kept his eyes off her. Putting the fork down he reached for a napkin. Cleaning his mouth Hope looked at her a bit cheerful. All of a sudden the sulkiness that had been going around inside him had left.

"Your right Light. This is my fault. But you know…I think I know how to stop this mess from happening." Hope put his napkin down before watching her perk her head at him. "Really and what is that?"

He smiled back, "It's simple, just tell him we're together."

Her eyes widened before Hope could finish feeling more worried at her reaction. "Or not, I-mean it was a suggestion. Keep him away until Serah forgets. Its fine if you wa-"

"That's perfect."

Hope looked up at her smile. "You know sometimes you find great ways to use that head of your Hope."

"Sometimes?" He asked suddenly. Before he could protest he felt a fabric brush his lips. Watching her gently remove her small handkerchief. "You missed a spot."

* * *

Hope looked back at his watch. It had been a while since they got news from Snow that Serah had been resting for a while. She would not leave until the following morning. She put too much stress on herself during child birth and Snow decided to stay with her.

Claire didn't want to budge and only when Hope convinced her to go downstairs to the cafeteria and eat something with him did she move. They were quietly waiting to hear from the doctor in another hour or so. It was night time and the hospital lights were still laminating the hallways.

Feeling a tug at his side Hope turned to see Claire move around his left shoulder. He knew he could ask for a pillow from the nurse at the office, but it seemed his partner didn't mind using him instead.

After a while he heard her whisper his name. "Hope? You…can go…home…rest"

Looking up from the magazine in his right hand Hope looked down at her sleeping form. Completely leaning into him from her chair.

"Sorry you're stuck with me."

She mumbled something he couldn't understand, but he let her stubbornness be and went back to reading.

**Author's Notes: Just wanted to post this chapter. I thought about making this part into the previous chapter, but I thought against it because I wanted to emphasize on something. It always made me laugh how Hope and Lightning interact in Lightning Returns. Granted they had pieces of their souls taken away from them, but the sarcasm was over 9000 sometimes. Anyways here's another chapter and now the real fun begins, with the extended family coming up!**


	10. Memory Lane

**_"Tell my boss—tell Hope Estheim—that it was an honor to work for him. Even if our time together never really existed..."_**

**Alyssa Zaidelle (Lighting Returns: from the canvas of prayer quest, "Fading Prayer)**

Hope Estheim had turned 19 yesterday. He had officially become the youngest graduate of the Academy despite his father's wishes to not rush things. But Hope couldn't make him understand how important, no; how crucial it was to get through school. It was ironic really. Fang, Vanille, and Lightning gave up their lives to keep Cocoon from falling down. As well as let Hope and the rest of their friends and family to continue living. Yet here he was dedicating his life to them. To bring them all back.

He was moving his boxes to his office for his new job. He had been assigned to team Alpha of the research and excavation squad of the Academy. He had the morning to himself in order to get his things together and in the evening he would head to the main building to meet his team.

Unpacking things went pretty simple. His family picture frame rested on top of his desk. His cabinet file was clean and filled with only two sheets of paper. Who knows how long it would last this organized. He wasn't the tidiest person, he knew where everything was at least.

His expensive textbooks all pretty much useless now, were more like decorations piled up on his top shelves. All in all Hope set up his office in a matter of minutes. After he put his boxes to the side he brought out a list of assignments to prepare for tonight. His first sighting would be over New Bodhum.

His eyes scanned at the description of the first file. Happy to see the images of where to go he put the document back into his folder and closed it.

"I wonder how Serah and Snow are doing?" Hope asked himself spinning himself around his executive chair. How long has it been? 4 years?

Letting out a sigh of relieve Hope planted his feet down before looking at the clock on the wall. Just a quarter past nine in the morning Hope gazed towards the window of his office. The academy was essentially part of the newly established government. The man in charge was Rygdea, once an ally of the younger Hope during the fall of the Sanctum.

Hope would have never guessed how close he could get with him. In fact he was supposed to meet him today a while back ago. Over the years Hope had grown to be understanding of Rygdea's schedule. He was a man with many tasks let alone responsibilities.

Hope was glad he wasn't in those shoes. Deciding on leaving his office Hope gazed out at the window that oversaw the academy. The building he was standing was the Sanctum headquarters long ago. Over the few years the debranching and reconstruction of the PSICOM brigade took many phases. There was a bit resistance, a few skirmishes here and there. But thankfully most of the old guardians of the Sanctum were now a part of the academy's command. To protect, never to retaliate.

Still this room seemed…strange. It was big and more centralized than all the other offices Hope passed by on his way, some he walked in mistakenly. Curiously Hope looked under his desk and opened the cabinets underneath. Just to see if anything had been left behind by the previous owner of this room. Everything was empty as expected. The sudden interest faded away before he opened the drawer to his right. There was nothing there other than a black worn out book. There was no tittle, except a red inscription that read, "C.R".

Picking up the book he turned the cover to reveal the worn pages that barely binded. Pausing his flip of the book, Hope held it more carefully and read a segment for details of the owner. Judging by the cursive writing it was a journal, most probably military. The way the words were crossed in straight lines resembled the same disciplined scriptures Hope had studied through Sanctum archives. Part of his previous job, when his father Bartholomew Estheim was still in charge of the division; was to extract information from old relics. Archeology was a practice Hope learned by trial and error.

But this journal…the fancy diction felt familiar. Reading the second page he randomly opened, Hope walked towards the window again.

"_The will is a powerful component of the spirit. It allows us to dare, to dream; and as such I too believed I could change things. Make things better. Which is why I'm planning on meeting Rygdea tonight._

_It was folly to distrust him, after all he was the one that followed through my orders. Despite my wish to test out who would be the enemy; and which ones were loyal. It still burdens me to know that the majority didn't make it. How many more people had to be sacrificed for these deities? _

_This is why I will propose a plan with Rygdea, perhaps a few more later. The Fal'Cie think of us humans as sheep. Lost and dependent on the guidance of their rule. It's all an illusion of control however. A power play that I have to eliminate no matter the sacrifice. _

_I hope that my suspicion of the Sanctum's puppet does not tether strings longer than I fear._

_But I suppose…hope is not a strategy."_

Looking down at the journal Hope grew thoughtful. The melancholy of the author's writing was definitely familiar. But more important, Rygdea's name was mentioned. Just then the quiet steps outside his office shuffled to a halt. Hope out of instinct placed the book in a shelve closest by the window panel.

Speaking of which…

"Hope I'm sorry for being late again, you know how politics tend to end," Rygdea said raising a hand apologetically. Closing the door behind him the older man smiled warmly. "But I do have to say, you look more and more like your father today."

At this Hope raised his eyes startled, "Sorry?"

Chuckling the brunette haired man sat down in one of the two seats across from Hope's desk. "Your father in the years that I knew him would, and you have to forgive me if my words seem to offend; but Bartholomew would stare out into the sky more times than he would be sitting down in board meetings."

"Idealist to the core your father was," the leader replied looking out knowingly. Hope smiled back at this.

"Yeah, dad was always a dreamer. Even if sometimes he sounded like no nonsense was his way of figuring things out," Hope admitted shaking his head down.

Rygdea let out a hum in agreement. Looking back at the young graduate he paused his humor for a bit, as the serious part creped in. "How is your father by the way."

Hope walked around the desk while smiling amusingly, "Oh dad? He's great, he's actually planning on leaving for Palumpolum tomorrow, it's been a while since he'd been able to go home. Now that he retired he can go back and forth and visit mom too."

"Good…that's good Hope."

There was a silent nod before Rygdea got up again looking expectantly. "So then? Are you ready for me to show you around the place? As a member of team Alpha you have access to most of the building with your security card."

Hope nodded as he lifted his bag that was thrown by a corner. If anything he might study some more of his notes before meeting the team later in the evening. After Rydea shows him around the facility of course. As both men stepped near the door Hope's curiosity from before rose up. Looking at the older man Hope paused his steps and looked out hesitantly.

"Sir?"

Clicking his tongue in response Rygdea looked back at him, "Come on now Hope, just Rygdea is fine."

Waiving away the formality Hope readjusted his bag on one shoulder, "I was wondering, well actually I noticed that this room seemed more – I dunno important than the rest I walked by. Is this like a more executive office or something?"

At the question Rygdea's friendly demeanor faded. There was a hint of sadness that flashed away before the politeness returned. But it was enough for Hope to see anyways.

Looking down with a worn smile Rygdea nodded. "Yeah it sure was, this used to be Raine's office."

His old friend's office. But Hope guessed Rygdea didn't want to mention that part out loud.

* * *

A few months passed since the day Hope moved into his office. Just as he expected his job required his entire focus through most of his time. A break usually meant stepping out of his office when Hope wasn't on the excavations or tasked with preparing conference meetings. All in all though Hope enjoyed his work. His father would drop by from time to time and give him tips on how to file extensions for reports.

Evidently the old man knew a few tricks of the old book to get through the legislative committee to expedite approval forms that requested for more funds and resources. Unfortunately Bartholomew also gave Hope advice on life. Not that Hope minded, because his father was a great mentor. Hope wishes he could say the best, but his heart would disagree when a certain pink haired soldier came to mind.

No what Hope didn't look forward to from his dad…was the 'I'm really worried why my son is still single and voluntarily rejects society' talks.

"I married your mother, so you know I at least went out a few times." Bartholomew reminded him as they ate lunch in Hope's office.

"Dad…"

Hope put down his custard bowl as the thought of 'how I met your mother' story that his father constantly told him over and over again repeated in cycles.

I was a tireless financial consultant. She was a secretary across a firm in the same building. I dropped some papers. She picked them up for me. We looked at each other…

It was like one of those cheesy soap operas that came on during the hud displays outside the stores. Usually a cheap way to market in a brand of cologne or perfume. His parents as commercial actors, now that was a thought.

"Hope? Are you listening?"

Lifting his spoon Hope nodded slowly. The older man sighed as he bit into his sandwich.

"I miss her."

Hope looked up from his bowl, the words automatically leaving his lips. Bartholomew gazed up at his son quietly.

"It's alright son, I miss your mom too."

Hope nodded firmly before opening his bottled water.

His mother? Yeah he supposed he missed her as well…

* * *

He was wrong! Lightning was alive somehow, and Serah was the proof. He was an idiot for not believing the younger Farron sister back then. He should have voiced his real opinion back then…reminded everyone that Light wouldn't just go up and vanish like Sazh did say.

It had been minutes after Serah and Noel left and the twenty- four year old Hope Estheim couldn't stop pacing in his tent outside Yaschas Massif. The watchful eyes of his assistant kept following his feet.

"You know Director, if you don't stop moving around the hole your digging I might just transfer out," Alyssa said looking pointedly at Hope's footsteps. Dragging around the soft soil that picked up and left indented marks from where Hope's boots kept plowing through.

Looking dismissingly Hope turned to the oracle drive again. He wasn't sure how it happened, but he managed to get a glimpse of Lightning. Serah had explained that the 'Hope' she met in a different time helped resolve the paradox that prevented from seeing the proper message.

He was hopeful again.

* * *

"Director are you ready?" Alyssa asked gently. Hope turned to her politely, "Almost. Why don't you go to the academy lab and wait for me. I won't take long I promise."

The short blonde haired woman nodded before she headed away from him. As he turned his back she gave him a worried look before leaving the scene.

Hope cleared his throat, ready to practice his oratory. As a new leader he would have to step up. "So I've found a way to-"

Hesitance. Not a good start already. Hope cleared his mind of the doubt. Focus…steady your mind.

He paused before starting up again, "I have rediscovered a way to travel further in time. Alyssa and I created a time capsule machine that essentially puts us in a comatose state. Well not really comatose, that's more with illness, but I um- it's essentially a long sleep for us." Hope pressed on looking at his target.

"The goal is to travel one hundred years into the future. By that time, Cocoon's pillars won't sustain themselves for much longer. 'Bhunivelze', my artificial new world. Our new Cocoon will be my final goal by then." Hope looked down in thought.

"_Might as well say it out loud now. Be honest already."_

"I want to…I will protect Fang and Vanille. You remember them right? They visited our home once. You of course know Lightning, she is-"

"_Gone? Alone? Dead?"_

Hope dismissed these possible answers in his head before looking back at his target.

"I made a promise to look out for her, so I'm going to do just that."

Feeling like the conversation was coming to a close he paused his head in silence. Before finally getting down on one knee, he wanted to get one last good look before his trip. Where he was heading it was one way trip.

The double jointed tombstones read, "Nora and Bartholomew Estheim."

"So mom and dad, watch over me please?"

* * *

Was he dreaming? He must have been, but this felt like anesthesia awareness. He shouldn't feel anything. But there was a warmth wrapped around his face. That much he knew. If only he could open his eyes.

No. Did he mess up on his calculations? Was this a result of an endless cycle of a void? Hope felt his heartbeat race, he was in the time capsule. Alyssa too, beside him if he could only open his eyes. It was no use though. The machine was keeping him in stasis and the awake state in his mind was a random occurrence right?

"You worry too much Hope."

That voice. Hope gave in to the warmth again, as scary as it was to not see anything or move for that matter, something about that voice felt familiar.

There was a gentle touch that stayed by his temple. "Then again, you wouldn't be Hope if you didn't worry so much. It's kind of your super power really."

He relaxed his heartbeat as the woman's voice finally clicked. Even now after all this time, she somehow found a way to tease him.

Lightning…

"Hope, don't give up. You're heading the right path," she said as Hope felt the warmth leave him. He tensed his body, or at least made the attempt to. Physically unable to his mind stubbornly fought harder.

Screaming internally Hope wanted her attention. Let her know he was listening, but more importantly he didn't want her to go. They were so close…

Hope then heard it, a grunt. Not hers, but his. Somehow he managed to cause a motor to move and make sound.

He was rewarded with a scoff. "Idiot, don't be a hero. We already have one of those on the team."

Hope wasn't mad, in fact he was relaxed again. He got through to her.

The last thing he felt was a tap, or rather a flicking sensation across his forehead. Even now it seemed, she could get away with that.

* * *

Twenty-seven year old Hope Estheim gazed out at the fallen petite woman. Serah was dead. How could this have happened? He did everything right! Didn't he?

The darkened clouds around him seemed to engulf 'Bhunivelze' despite his attention was to the woman now in Noel's arms.

Then it hits him. The realization of what's to come. The portal to Etro's gate, the fate which only could happen if…

Light was never to be seen again, the chaos made sure of that.

* * *

How old was he now? Being older than a hundred surely made him old enough to be considered a wise man right? So why didn't he feel that way?

Why was Hope Estheim, the leader of humanity such a damn failure?

Resting his feet around the fallen paperwork in the arc that was once residence to his top researchers, the forever young leader gave up. He couldn't do it anymore. He was so close.

No. He corrected himself.

"_You didn't do shit. You became a politician while these scientist did all the work. They were close to an answer too. Anti-gravity matter was the key, you know? The one tool that helped lift the original Cocoon; something that was under your nose the entire time?"_

Hope could hear the voice of Snow over the com link in his ear. "Hope? Hope do you copy? You've been there for a while, do you need assistance?"

The realization of his secret being found out is a heavy burden, he firmly responds no before turning off his communications from the outside world.

What did this all mean? The letters all read the same thing as they taunted him around the floor.

"_The woman with _**_the rose_**_-_**_colored hair_**_ takes us with her?" _Hope asks himself before feeling the sharp pain in his chest. What happened to all the scientist; how could they leave no traces or marks like that?

Everybody was gone. He was alone in the arc, looking at the letters that repeated the same message. A part of him didn't seem to care anymore. He'd lost hope.

He accepted this. In response he felt a light illuminate the floor in pink. Gazing up he saw nothing.

What was that? Hope got up on his feet following the spot ahead of him by the monitor that controlled everything in the station. Just as he moved he felt something behind him move.

Hope turning around quickly saw a glimpse of…w-wait a second! It couldn't be her? She was dead…wasn't she?

The light was behind him now. As if taunting him Hope moved sideways to approach either side. Nothing was there. Hope sighed deeply before moving back after a moment's rest. His failures were making him see things. Now what was he supposed to tell the others?

Leaving the arc Hope headed back down on Pulse, the city of Luxerion awaited him.

He couldn't do it anymore. He already resisted enough and surprisingly enough Hope was right about something. That didn't occur often anymore it seemed.

Lightning was back. Her spirit was with him, since that day in the arc where his hope died; Light started to appear. Although whenever he tried talking to her she would vanish. When Hope tried to see her she would move, but not long before leaving behind a trail of pink light. Enough to let him know she was indeed around.

Why was she teasing him like that? He didn't care anymore! He wanted to see her again, he already failed the world. He didn't want to fail to see her again.

Still that stubborn piece of him struggled within. What was once his conscience that burned with certainty was now the minor part of his soul. It was screaming at him.

"_That isn't Lightning! This…this thing is not her! Hope you have to listen to reason…"_ it spoke weakly. Hope didn't want to listen to that anymore. He'd had enough. Today he was going to follow Lightning.

She started talking to him a few days ago finally. She would repeat the same words in his dreams and when he awoke.

"Let me take you with me."

Over and over she would say the same thing. For whatever reason he always resisted. Tonight Noel and Snow had gone off to find Sazh. Hope hadn't been much use anyways, something bad had happened to Dajh. Sazh wasn't responding; Snow mentioned finding his location out in the wilderness not too far from the city.

Hope looked down at his office desk. He was alone now. There was nothing for him to do that would benefit anyone. If anything else his lies had been filled with false hope. Besides Light was calling to him again.

"Hope?"

Gazing up to the pink phantom, the silver haired man couldn't even identify her face. Perhaps there was never a face, but what did it matter anymore. He didn't have a say anymore.

Lifting himself from his chair he followed the trail to the door. "Light? You're real right?"

She responded by walking out the door halfway. The phantom never answered his questions. He didn't care though, Hope was already gone.

* * *

His eyes awoke to the noise of thunder. Hazily lifting himself against his bed post, Hope looked around the empty bedroom.

"_Where was she?"_

The headache from before was leaving; they had become less frequent now. Sometimes he had nightmares, but usually it would only happen if he was stressed out. Work had been steady, but now that Jack was born Claire usually spent her time away from the house.

Getting out of his bed he got ready for the day and when he was done carried his work shirts out. Claire had taken the time to help with his shirts when she could, but now he was going to have to do them by himself.

In the living room he smelled the dark roast of coffee and followed the aroma to the kitchen table where a breakfast tray with a letter were displayed. Putting his clothing in a bag he tied it up before washing his hands.

Drying his hands on his pants Hope reached over the toast and eggs to the letter and read it.

"_Hope, I'm sorry I couldn't be home. I wanted to wait, but last night you looked tired. I couldn't wake you up, especially on your special day. I'm over at Serah's, I'll be home in a bit. _

_Happy birthday Hope. The eggs turned out quiet nice. The bread is burned a bit, but the toaster had been acting up lately."_

_-Claire _

Gazing out his kitchen window he saw the rain pour down. It was his birthday already?

Hope didn't pay much attention to his birthdays anymore. It was hard to feel festive about that stuff anymore. His stomach however kept growling towards the breakfast plate.

The food was great. He read the newspaper something that Claire always wondered why he subscribed to it since he rarely ever read it. Today at least, he was able to. There was nothing going on in the city events page, the column on the technology side mentioned his name.

Out of custom he flipped the page to the comics instead. After breakfast the rain had stopped. Hope stepped outside to walk around the block. He had to admit that his body was conditioned to do some type of activity in the mornings ever since their stay at France.

Walking around also did wonders for his brain, and after the last few days Hope had a lot on his mind. The whole engage thing was proving to be more difficult than he calculated. It was official. Claire Farron was nearly blackmailing him to call it off. Reaching the first stop sign of the street he looked at the clouds forming in masses again and he stretched his back in response.

A few days ago for instance they had gone together into the market street, just like when Hope had gone on an errand with her almost a year ago for the café shop. Except this time, she pointed out flaws or as he liked to call them 'warnings' of what was to come.

"If you're with me, you're going to have to keep up," she would insist whenever Hope took a while to catch a corner break on their travels.

One time they had gone inside a store and Hope casually filled their cart with his usual snacks. You know chocolate caramel striped cookies, crème filled chocolate cookies, oatmeal and raisin cookies, and of course a few assortments that came in one package. In France they didn't' have these things, so now that Hope was back home he could finally indulge in his favorite snacks.

Too bad someone didn't approve…

"So this is why you couldn't keep up during our first runs together. Hope! There's enough cookies in this cart for twelve people." She started eyeing him slowly. Hope tried his best to fight back, but like he soon realized….she always pulled 'that' excuse.

"I don't want to marry a cookie addict," she said flatly stopping the cart at the fruit section of the store. The silver haired man tried negotiating. In the end all but the oatmeal cookies were put back on the shelves and many…many sacrifices had to be made.

Did Snow had to make similar sacrifices? Hope wasn't sure…probably not.

Claire was stubborn, but Hope was resilient. He put up with all her attacks, because Hope knew her better than anyone. Even her sister.

Changing his pace to a light jog, Hope crossed the street towards the neighborhood to where the downtown bus station was located. He didn't calculate the distance, for now he was on autopilot.

Something else had happened recently too. Memories of the past had presented themselves in nightmares. Especially two. His time in the arc, where he barely remembered guiding Light and of a woman he had worked with. Alyssa Zaidelle to be exact.

How long had she known him now? Why didn't she say anything if she kept those memories? None of this made sense to him. It all happened so fast one night. It was a nightmare of when he stepped beside Augusta Tower. The memory sequence was as haunting as ever.

* * *

"Right around here, you said Alyssa?"

The short blonde assistant didn't respond at first. "Alyssa? Something wrong?" Hope had asked again keeping his distance ahead of her. Secretly keeping his right hand by his utility belt.

He had known for a while now…

Alyssa had been by his side for years, time traveled in the same pod even. Up until a month ago she had been honest with him. But something had changed after Serah and Noel left Academia in search of Caius.

Hope wasn't a genius, but he had always captured all behaviors around him. Alert and cautious, something his pink haired mentor had taught him. Ever since they had stepped out of their time capsule and Light had…'visited' him Alyssa had not been the same.

Something had happened to her, and a part of Hope wondered if he had ever seen his aloof assistant so nervous.

"Oh I'm sorry sir. Um yes! Up ahead is where the elevator leads to the top. We have to hurry." Alyssa said keeping her pace up with him. Avoiding his eyes the entire time.

They finally reached the elevator and got inside quietly. So this is what it felt like?

She was going to kill him just like that? Hope wasn't a thrill seeker, but her methods didn't make sense to him. Then again none of this did. Still he casually kept his right hand at the ready.

Giving her a curious smile he pointed to her gun now in her hand. "I thought you said we didn't need our weapons?"

Finally looking up at the silver haired man, Alyssa gazed at him in a manner that made the ride up more melancholy.

"You taught me to always watch the rear, right?"

Hope saw the hint of sadness there in her eyes and for a moment thinks against stopping the elevator and reaching for her gun. The logical side of his head kicks in and he smiles instead.

"It's almost over isn't it?"

She didn't respond. And when the elevator stops Hope knows what to do. He steps forwards, counting his footsteps as he thinks of a good distance between them. He looks up at the command center with the AI interface known as "A.D.A.M", the beginning of mankind's creation of its destruction.

Hope doesn't flinch when he hears the gun click behind him. The safety lock pulled.

"So is that it? You're just going to shoot your Director behind his back?" He asked calmly keeping his back to her. She hadn't stepped out of the elevator yet.

"W-what?" She asks startled and a part of him wonders if she's faking it.

Turning around to meet her, Hope doesn't count to see the fear in her eyes. Then it hits him, and everything makes sense. Caius...

If Lightning had the opportunity to reach out to him, when she was in an endless battle with Caius the man, Hope knew to be relentless. How did she manage to escape the sorcerer?

Unless Caius placed his bets on someone else too. Someone close to him? Even if his smile was darkly placed Hope had to admit it.

Well played Caius.

"You don't have to do this…Alyssa, please," Hope reasoned putting his hands up slowly. Not sure if she watched him from the elevator ride, Hope had a small chip in his right glove. A manadrive fragment, enough to stun a target if needed.

The smile across her face makes him doubt her previous demeanor. Until her voice confirms the same scared tone he assumed. "I-I do have to. I don't want to die."

Confused at the information the young man warmly smiles at her. Partially artificial he asks again. "Please just talk to me. Look you're the one with the gun. The terms of this outcome are in your hands, so if you're going to kill me anyways just talk to me. Run things through me, one last time." He pleads as the gun in her hand starts to shake.

She was hesitating. That was a start…all he needed now was to close the gap. He takes a few steps towards her, with both hands still in the air.

She doesn't respond at first until he takes another few steps. "Don't you get any closer or I will shoot."

He had gotten further than he thought he would. Excellent.

"Fine then. I won't move from this spot. Just please tell me why," he repeats as she steps forward from the elevator.

There is a certain sense of fear and uncertainty in her walk that Hope calculated. But then he sees it. And suddenly the fourteen year old in him that reached for the dead PSICOM soldier before Lightning had pushed him back in warning comes back. Compassion.

"_I can't just make a decision like this. Help her…maybe she thinks Caius is her answer to her problem?" _the thought in his head asks. Lightning had done wonders for him, made him into a confident leader in more ways than one. But that doubt in him, or the warmth that he felt for people. It just couldn't be turned off like a switch. It was programmed in him. Hope was still Hope.

His assistant's eyes get glossy and that's when the kid in him acts through his body. Keeping eye contact with Alyssa before she starts crying, Hope looks at her carefully.

"I don't want you to shoot, because I need to do something right now. Okay?"

She doesn't respond until he drops the chip that was tucked between his right index finger and middle finger. The only weapon at his disposal gone.

This was his last resort.

"How did yo- did you plan on using that against me?!" She asks angrily as the tears start pouring down her cheeks. Hope keeps his smile the same. Although this time, more genuine than before.

"I made plans too, but I realized I made a mistake," he says as Alyssa keeps her gun pointed at him. "Oh yeah? And what is that?"

"I forgot that no matter what. You always have my back right? So I need to start acting like I got yours," Hope says keeping his eyes at her. There is a silent pause before Hope hears a slight hitch from her lips.

The gun drops and all of a sudden he sees right through her. Literally.

Her eyes widely opened Alyssa looks at him desperately. Hope goes after her open hand.

But when he reaches, it fades through him. "Alyssa, what's happening?"

"I...I didn't do what he wanted," she says grimly as Hope reaches for her body next to him. She was like a ghost now.

"Hope…I'm so sorry, he said that I could avoid death. My existence was a paradox, I didn't want t-but I was-"

He put his hand up in thought and to silence her as well. "Don't apologize for doing nothing wrong. We can stop this, just tell me what Caius told you. Tell me why your-"

Wait. She had called him "Hope"? This was the first time she had ever called him by his first name. He looks up as she reaches for his hand, the outline of her body fading.

"Just promise me…promise me you won't forget me."

Then she's gone. And for a moment Hope stares at the scene before him and his eyes blur and everything fades to black.

When he awoke he didn't know why he was knocked unconscious. But he moves forward, not dwelling on distractions. It didn't seem like he had forgotten anything important anyways.

* * *

Until now. Reaching the train station Hope stops at a bench and leans by it. Not realizing that he had gone on a sprint the entire run, the sweat making ways through his black shirt. Gale and Roger had mentioned that Alyssa was going to attend a meeting soon here with them. Even now, despite she had taken his offer to replace him…she was stubbornly trying to take command of the research branch here at home. Hope had plenty of time to talk to her then.

Hope looks around before deciding to head towards more inward of the city, the people were nonexistent anyways. Not much traffic, probably due to the rain from before.

Then he feels a vibrating sensation on his left pocket of his pants and Hope reaches for his phone.

'Serah' flashing on the screen Hope decides to sit down and take the call. "Hello? Hope?"

The younger cheerful woman is heard through his phone as the man smiles inwardly.

"Yeah it's me Serah, good morning." The soft giggle is heard before she replies back, " Gooood morning to you Mr. Estheim. Happy birthday as well, I know how old people tend to forget."

Startled Hope shifts in the bench and leans on one shoulder of the phone, "What? I'm not that old! I'm twenty eight, mid-twenties is far from old."

One thing he had to get used to was the fact that the youngest member of the group was not ironically the oldest in this world. Funny how that happened, when he was younger all he wanted to do was to grow up quicker.

Now here he was defending his age. "How are you and Jack?" Hope asked as he added the missing piece of the family after she corrected him.

"Snow is doing fine as well."

"Well of course he is, he's Snow. Actually is Claire still over?" Hope asked as the younger Farron cleared her throat.

"Oh um Claire? She's not here right now. Actually to be honest she left about twenty minutes ago. She headed towards the café to check up on stuff. She took Jack with her," Serah added too casually.

Hope blinked at the last part. Lightning with a baby in check? That little hypocrite. He was going to make sure to throw back the 'no baby talk' comment from before as soon as the opportunity came.

"Actually," Serah interrupted his ego before Hope tuned in. "I want to talk to you sir. Claire had informed me of a very important detail this morning. You want to marry her do ya?"

Whatever cheerful tone Serah had was replaced with a firm one. And for a moment Hope wonders if what Snow said was true.

"_I'm telling you man. Sometimes she's even scarier than sis!"_

Hope was up for any challenge, because the fact was he indeed asked for Claire's hand in marriage. An agreement on the pink haired woman's part too. That was final.

"Yup. I do."

There was a moment of silence before a shrill of unpleasant static ruptured something in his left ear canal.

"Hope! Oh thank goodness it was you! I was fixing to do something myself, but you maned up- I'm glad! Not-that-you-couldn't-but-you-know-your-socially-awkward…I mean-"

The young researcher took the abuse and followed the conversation till the end.

"Like right now?" Hope asked suddenly.

Serah could be heard sighing playfully. "Yes now! Claire isn't here and Jack is with her. You and me, one on one talk. We need to figure out how to get my sister in a wedding dress and a decent place to celebrate the wedding."

"I already thought about paying someone for that." Hope brings it up scratching his left ear again. The sound coming back.

"Hope?"

"Yeah?"

"Comments like that are going to make Claire and I go against your wedding."

Startled Hope stared at his phone like it was Serah. "W-what? Why?"

"You need to have a wedding planned by people in the family. That's half of the fun, you dummy!"

How much more abuse was he willing to take?

Hope got up from the bench and headed for his new destination.

"I'll be at your place in ten minutes."

Having Serah on her side was a good thing. Divide and conquer. Plus this was a good time for him to check Serah's food pantry. Maybe there was some hope left for his soon to be future yet?

**AUTHOR'S NOTES: I know its been a while, but the story is almost coming to its final chapters. I know I keep saying that, but its true. I kind of like looking through everything and keep posting without giving it all up right away. I'm terrible I know. But I'm happy to see such a following, I didn't expect too much. So I'm already happy enough for that. Keep being patient and I'll also let you all know that my other story is going to be a continuation. "600,104,973 Times Over," is the behind the scenes of these chapters. Tune in for more, and if you enjoyed or even if you didn't let me know with a review. Other than than, thanks again. Don't worry, Hope will very much get his cookies back...  
**

**...maybe.**


	11. Hook, Line, and Fight

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:Hello there! I'm still alive but barely. Pre-med courses kicked my butt and send me through a new level of torture. But I loved it. So there you go maybe I'm a medic masochist, well except for the weird sexual part. I'm not that. Anyways here's another chapter as only two more remain. I'm sorry for not posting it all now, I need to read through it all again. Make sure my grammar is decent enough anyways. What can I say I'm picky and needy. Terrible combinations I know, but enough about my ramble. Here you go, enjoy! And thank you for your support and patience as always.**

It was a rather surprisingly quiet visit at Serah's place. Usually always in high traffic with her anything but quiet husband and baby. Hope had a very non Lightning specific lunch conversation with Serah and it was starting to worry him. Serah may look sweet, but when she was serious Hope knew fully well how scary she could be. She already yelled at him once through time space continuum, surely up close and personal was even worse.

Yet here she was sipping her tea with the most uninterested smile.

"So I read something interesting in the papers, birthday boy. Apparently your name was mentioned a few times in the second column," she nodded towards the table with the stack of papers. Not bothering to pick it up Hope went back to his cookie.

_"How long has it been? Chocolate chip doesn't beat snickerdoodle but…."_

Hearing the rustling of the newspaper Hope looked up to Serah reading the headlines before looking back at him. "Oh the research institution you work at is announcing a big ceremony event. Some new management is fixing to come on over, odd there is no name of the head honcho."

Reaching for another cookie Hope nodded eagerly. "Yeah I have a meeting next week about that. The board will vote in a new boss, I think an old research buddy of mine is getting the promotion."

"Oh?"

Hope looked up quietly on the subject. Alyssa wasn't confirmed yet, to be honest Hope was speculating that she would get the job. After all she was coming over from France where she had replaced him. After he asked her to anyways, only thing was it was strange for her to make that move. Could she keep both directing jobs?

"Her name is Alyssa, she was the assistant I had in France," Hope added as he reached for his cup of tea. Feeling a light hum from the petite woman. "Oh Claire told me about her. You two got off on a wrong note huh? It's hard to imagine that-"

Just like that Serah pressed her lips as if she said too much. Hope saw the strange gesture and eyed her suspiciously.

"Really? What else did Claire say?"

The glint of her blue eyes lit up as a smile sneaked in.

"Claire? She didn't say much about your job other than you spend a lot of time coming home late," she said putting her cup down gently before shifting her gaze at him. With the most hard look that was fitting for a Farron sibling.

"Now that we're on _that_ subject. Mr. I want to marry Claire, you and I have to discuss a few things about my lovely sister," Serah was finally getting to the point.

Hope put his cup to the side and fidgeted a bit. Strange how he felt like was in a court room.

Keeping his hands on the table Hope spoke first. "She's suddenly trying to get me to call it off. Every time I try to talk to her about it she keeps making the same move." Hope was fixing on explaining further before a small hand cut him off.

"Hope I'm going to ask you two questions and you have to answer them honestly before we can discuss anything else," Serah pointed out bluntly as Hope stiffened at the sudden change in the room. Like a scary aura.

Still he nodded quietly as the younger pink haired woman tapped on the table.

"Do you love Claire?"

Hope blinked at that. Was this really the tough-

"Yes." His eyes shifted towards her in direct fashion. Keeping the eye contact Serah pried her hands from the table and pointed at him.

"Will you do everything I ask you to do from now until you leave this room?" She asked as Hope raised his eyebrows.

_Was this a test? Do everything Serah asks?_

"Yes."

The silver haired man breathed out when Serah looked away. Had he been holding his breath without knowing it?

Suddenly the sweet girl came back and the room felt lively again, "Good! Because if you said anything other than yes I would have stopped any talks about wedding planning. Now about Claire…"

* * *

Lightning didn't like lying to her sister. Technically she didn't…but the fact that she was heading to café Roselia to check its operation was only partially true. She never did mention though how Snow was going to be there and happened to pick up Jack a while ago.

She had been sitting in a booth in the back for a while now. Her hot drink untouched as she gazed out the window. She was mad and confused. Mostly mad and if she was still the old Lightning probably would have bashed something or someone.

Lightning just couldn't believe it. All these things he never mentioned to her. _He doesn't trust me enough to tell me everything and expects me to marry him?_ Her eyes went to the side as a new batch of people came in through the door.

As usual a group of young girls giggling into the lounge area to 'study', café Roselia's best type of customers actually. Keeping her attention at the sofa where they sat Lightning remembered the conversation she had with Noel not long ago. Well as much of a conversation as it was an interrogation, but she needed to know more. Hope was constantly cornering her when it came to this whole marriage thing, and while she found it difficult to not ignore his questions he didn't seem to give much back.

Today was Hope's birthday and she sneaked away early in the morning making him some breakfast in the kitchen before leaving him a note. She talked to Serah and planned a surprised birthday party for tonight before volunteering to take care of the baby for a while. Lightning was actually surprised Serah gave up baby Jack so easily. But if she knew her sister, and she did; Lightning knew Serah must have caught on to something.

When she left her sister she came here to the café to check up on Snow and Noel who agreed to meet her. What started as a simple plan of getting Hope out of the house for a while to set up the party became a questioning session with Lightning about various things. Things she needed to know.

Looking back now Lightning wondered if maybe now it was more than she wanted to know.

About an hour ago is when her meeting with Noel and Snow ended about Hope's surprised birthday party plan.

"So I get Hope to tag along on a fool's errand while sis and Serah put up the party decorations? Seems simple enough," Snow grinned putting his finger in front of Jack. The baby doing the natural thing and wanting to put anything in his mouth. Lightning pulled his hand away from his son and scolded.

"First off it's not a fool's errand I really do need those things for the party. Secondly Serah told you to stop doing that, Jack doesn't know where your finger has been."

Snow's faced showed an appalled expression before raising Jack over his shoulder. "You think I wouldn't wash my hands? Please! I wash them more now than ever. Besides I thought it's better for a baby to get exposed to things you know build their immune system."

A bit caught off by that she raised an eyebrow at Snow before he shrugged away reaching for something in his jacket. "I uh, I've been reading those health magazines Serah's subscribed to. Oh if that's a joke please share with us Noel," Snow said turning to a smirk expression between Noel and Lightning.

"Maybe this baby is more than a blessing. I mean Snow reading? Who would have-hey jerk!" Noel quickly dodged a handful from Snow as he got up from his seat. Jack's eyes covered by his father who was now trying to mouth off something that didn't meet the standards of a role model.

Lightning shaking her head moved the long forgotten cup of coffee and waived away Snow. "Alright Dr. Villiers go and find the other genius and make sure he stays with you at all times. Don't forget Jack," Claire added as Snow rolled his eyes and left with his son cradled in his chest. Even as he left she could hear him murmuring to Jack, what exactly she could not make out entirely. But the words 'mean' and 'aunty' were easy for her to pick up.

Noel pushing in his seat and standing by the table waived away too, "Alright Light, I'll go get Yeul. She gets out of school in a few hours, but I'll make sure to get everything ready." As he shifted away Claire from underneath pushed back the chair and cleared her throat.

"Actually can you sit and talk with me for a while? There's something I've been meaning to ask you about." She stated as Noel furrowed his eyebrows suspiciously. Right now the demeanor of the pink haired woman had changed and for a moment Noel wonders if this was something she planned on doing. Not a coincidence of timing.

"Yeah sure. What about?" He asked as he went back to his seat and leaned back quietly. Suddenly out of words and a bit annoyed Claire breathed out slowly. Something was bothering her, and it wasn't the conversation that was fixing to happen. It was a sense of failure. Mostly on her part for not being able to get Hope to open up. If this was the only way to get through the truth she needed to move forward. After all Snow might have kept somethings from her too, Claire knew those two were as close as brothers. Noel on the other hand…he was more blunt.

"I need to ask you about the Chaos Era. But more importantly I need to know a few things about Hope during that time. Certain things he doesn't want me to know." She finished saying as Noel shifted around hesitantly. Again the guilt came over her and the thought of seeing her friend be reminded of the darkest time of his life makes her more cautious to not waste any time that dwells away from specifics.

After a brief silence Noel scratches his temple and nods warmly. "Of course. Just uh one thing. Are we talking about before or after he send the last message and vanished?"

Claire's eyes widened as the words escaped her too quickly before she could finish thinking. "What message?"

Currently it had been a while since Noel left and for the first time since arriving in this new world she begins to question herself. How could she face _him_ now? How could he try to?

After everything that had happened. Even as she knew the wars that plagued her since before Bhunivelze became more than a myth. So much had cleared up since Noel had finished explaining the pieces Hope refused to tell her. Even now she had to remind herself that what Hope had shared with her, all the small details anyways…he didn't lie. Not once.

But he certainly left out crucial things. Like for instance how he found her throne. How he ordered Noel and Snow to find a way to shield her still form for as long as possible.

Even more bitterly she hated knowing that the rose haired phantom Bhunivelze conjured up didn't just make Hope become obedient. Hope was driven insane. Then tortured for over a century. Even when she was the savior she knew the Hope Estheim that guided her through her missions in the Ark was off somehow.

Even later when Lightning found out that the smaller boy was actually a fake, a part of her remembered the few times they made eye contact. How within a small moment, a blink at best Hope's still and bored eyes would change. A small glaze would appear before the silver haired assistant would move back to his screen.

It made her sick. And of all days to not run off and find him and yell at him, Claire instead opted to rest her head on the side of one hand. It was his birthday after all, what could she do?

From the beginning Hope was always there for her. Ready to move or act to protect her, to keep their promise to each other. Now much older and by far more honest with herself Claire refuses to be upset. She was, but she wasn't going to let it show. Especially tonight, when she planned such a great birthday party for Hope.

Still. How cruel could fate be? Why today of all days did she have to find out the truth? Honestly she doesn't deserve him. That's the truth.

But as her eyes glance over the window and out to the sidewalk where a small girl is walking with her mom inside the café, Claire begins to think some more. This time of memories. Some of which don't dwell on the here and now, but of her own past. How old was she then? Five? When Claire Farron was told she would have a sister soon.

_"But I don't want one."_

_The little pink haired girl had pulled down on her mother's hand to make her point. Yet all her mother did was laugh as she looked at her husband's surprised look._

_Her father's similar eyes leveled down on her daughter's and tried to keep a straight face. "Honey that's not how it works. Your sister is on her way soon. Just think of all the things you and her can play with together. Remember what happened yesterday?"_

_The girl's lashes went straight to her mother's belly where she was told her sister was sleeping inside. Plus Claire had decided she was going to pretend she didn't know what her father was talking about. _

_Claire knew…she just didn't want to talk about it. Besides she didn't do anything wrong. It wasn't her fault she had pink hair. If those girls in the playground would have just stopped laughing-_

_Instead her father curled up her hair in locks to get her attention. Wanting to cry she looked up at her mom again._

_"Why not now? I need to play with someone now." She said again as her parents looked at each other slowly. She didn't understand what was so funny._

_Putting a hand on her husband Faith Farron shoved him away playfully, "You go get us a seat while we wait outside. Claire and I are going to have some girl time."_

_The man cleared his spectacles and winked at her daughter. "Right then. I'm not allowed, that's fine I'll go and get us a nice view from inside." Just like that Claire's father went inside and disappeared leaving the two pink haired mother and daughter alone. Outside by a bench where her mom had asked to stop and rest. _

_See she knew it! That annoying sister was making her mom tired. _

_"Claire come sit next to me. I have to tell you something important," her mother's gaze made the younger girl walk up and waddled her feet until she sat evenly beside her mother._

_"Your dad can be silly sometimes," she started as her long slender hands traced the young girl's locks of hair. Smoothing it out in passes Claire listened as her mom continued._

_"You know mommy and daddy loves you. You're our special little Claire. But now mommy and daddy needs your help. Can you keep a secret?" She asked as the girl obediently nodded._

_Working on Claire's right side of her hair Faith paused and went back to the other side. "You know I like this look better on you. Your hair looks much prettier that way, even prettier than mommy's."_

_Claire stood still as her mother continued curling up the wavy hair on one side. "So about our little secret. Do you remember when you helped me put away last night's groceries?" Her mother asked as the girl looked down thoughtfully. _

_It wasn't much really. Just a few plastic containers filled with food. But nodded her head anyways. "Yeah I remember."_

_Her mother smiled down as she pecked a kiss before the girl could protest. "You're growing up to be a helpful girl Claire. Your help made mommy feel better. Which is why I need you to help me with something else."_

_Now Claire looked up at her mom. Both sharing the same look the girl looked scared as her mom moved her hand to her belly again. Just like this morning._

_"It's your sister. She's kicking again. I think she's hungry," Claire's mother said almost amusingly as the girl stared back at the so called sibling._

_"She can wait can't she mom?"_

_Letting out a muse of laughter Faith looked down at her daughter and poked her forehead. "Maybe. But I'm glad your sister interrupted because she's what I need your help with." _

_At this Claire became scared. What was she going to do?_

_Reaching down to her ear Faith whispered, "Can you protect your sister for me?"_

_The girl looked up and felt her lips fall down. "Why? She's hurting you?"_

_Faith gently lifted her daughter's right hand and placed it over her belly. When the young girl felt the movement in her hand her mother looked back softly._

_"Your sister isn't hurting me Claire. She's excited. She's excited to meet you."_

Serah. Her little sister had been the attention of the household for a while. Claire was jealous of that. And as she remembered her mother's kind and gentle face and her father's quirky smile the memories return those lost feelings. Family and love. The ones she pushed away when Claire decided to become Lightning after her mother died. Her father long passed since too. Yet Serah was her reason to live. And now Claire watches the mom and daughter enter the line inside the café. She remembers something else. Something Claire hid before she turned fifteen.

Something she wasn't going to waste by being in this lonely booth that's for sure. Motioning a worker to come close Claire points out the mother and daughter and instructs for them to get anything they want before heading out.

If Claire Farron was going to live up to her mother's wishes maybe now would be the best time to show for it. Once she was outside Claire texted something briefly before smiling. Walking away on an impulse and to plan ahead she played with her cell phone as she took the long way home.

After the evening hours approached a rather entertained Hope was watching Snow try to take a picture of Jack outside a coin horse ride by the grocery store they left. "Oh your mom is so going to abuse this picture of you when you get older," Snow said to his son who was too busy yelling out cheers. The blonde locks of hair were getting messy and Hope wonders if the poor child will grow to have his father untamed nature of hairstyle. Not like Hope's hair was any better.

"Got it!" Snow exclaimed as he feverishly texted away. Probably to Serah and Hope grabs a hold of the bags again and waits for the other two in company to move.

When Jack is snuggled in Snow nods away with Hope taking the lead before he feels his phone vibrate. With one hand he casually brings up the screen to see Claire had texting him something.

When Snow asks who was it Hope mentions it's Claire before pocketing the device. Snow continues to pry and ask what she wanted before Hope shrugs in silence.

Hope wasn't sure how good his poker face was but Snow's expression probably confirmed it wasn't too good. Not like he cared much though.

He thinks if this was part of his birthday present. But that wouldn't fit Claire Farron's style. Would it?"

All it read was, "late summer wedding."

* * *

"Hey Serah?"

Nothing. Lightning tried calling her sister again before closing the door. Rolling up the sleeves of her light blue henley Lightning headed towards the kitchen. With nobody around in sight the set of blue orbs scanned around for any signs of her sister. Apart from a few mugs in the sink and a plate of cookies on the breakfast table nothing else seemed different.

Deciding to wait the pink haired woman went to the sink and started cleaning out the mugs. Force of habit really, but as she rinsed the two mugs a thought came in curiously.

"Two mugs?"

It was odd. Early in the morning when she came over Serah didn't drink anything. Well perhaps a bit too early, again not Lightning's fault. Military lifestyle made her an early bird. Even still though fresh baked cookies.

Somebody obviously visited Serah while she was gone.

Hearing a door open from the hallway the smaller voice echoed down, "Snow is that you? Did you bring Jack?"

Standing up near the living room Lightning called her out softly, "It's me Serah, just dropped by again. Wanted to talk to you about something."

"Oh." Is all the younger sibling said before shutting the door. It took a few minutes until she came out dressed in a white v neck and green shorts.

Smiling at her older sister they hugged before the older one looked in front of her. Which was back towards the breakfast table…with the cookies.

"You didn't offer me anything let alone baked anything when I visited earlier. Didn't I teach you anything?" Claire smirked thumping her finger on Serah's left cheek. The younger sister's eyes rolled to the side before retreating to the living room couch.

"Well normal people don't make breakfast at six in the morning. More like at least seven or after." Serah protested teasingly before grabbing a small cushion pillow.

"So what's up? Visiting me again about you know who?"

At this Lightning frowned before sitting down next to her sister. "Is that what I am now? A woman without a thought other than love?"

Grabbing her shoulder Serah giggled playfully, "Oh shut it. I know you better than anyone. If you wanted to talk to me about 'normal' things you would have called. You've had more texting conversations than in person talks you know."

Closing her eyes Lightning scoffed before looking back at the breakfast table. Those cookies…

"Did Hope come over by any chance?"

Oh she was good. Lightning was very good.

Since they were children Serah always had a clear giveaway when she was caught doing something. Her eyes would instantly blink twice before looking down. It was so easy by now that Lightning made her promise that if Serah ever tried hiding something from her to at least look away.

"Why? Did he tell you? Ok look I'm sorry, but I was just trying to help," Serah started before Lightning opened her mouth to interrupt. That was before of course the younger sister began to blabber uncontrollably.

"And you know what? Honestly Hope is a heart on his sleeve sort of guy. It's not my fault he can't shut up, all I said was how to get you to open up to the wedding proposal. Seriously, I mean you know me Claire. Right?" Serah asked before Lightning could answer confusingly, the younger sister continued.

Apparently she was in 'Serah mode'. Meaning until she confessed every little detail that little mouth of hers wouldn't stop moving. Normally it was a good thing, mostly how Lightning would interrogate her without doing much work back when they were children.

But the way this was heading…

"I said Hope please don't tell Claire I send you. Whatever you do please don't confess anything else. Just bring up a few dates with Snow and I, get to see what marriage looks like. Bring her in slowly…"

_Wait a minute. Did Serah just-was her little sister trying to force her into marriage? Serah and Hope were in some sort of plot to….those little…_

Raising a finger with her eyelids have closed almost like Mrs. Farron the teacher would, Serah surprised her.

"Part of this is your fault too Claire."

Blinking in surprise Claire shifted around the couch and clicked her tongue. "Oh really? Well want to know something interesting?"

Getting up from the couch she headed towards the plate of cookies and started to eat one. Chewy and sugary. The hint of snickerdoodle cookies which was one of Hope's favorites. Not 'the' favorite but one of his favorite. Purposely making Serah hang on to her words Claire savored the moment.

"I was going to ask you about how long it took to set up your wedding. But now that you've brilliantly told me that you and our residential genius decided to conspire against me, well as Hope would put it. I'm reconsidering the idea."

Appalled Serah moved the cushion pillow to the side. "Out of spite? Seriously? I meant it's great that you came for planning. I mean I thought-well Hope assured me that you were having second thoughts."

Shifting again to the subject Serah walked over to the kitchen table. Almost pleading, slightly pitiful but Lightning wouldn't admit it. Not when it was her sister.

"Please Claire, I'm sorry okay? Look Hope really put a lot of thinking into this. So if you've decided to go forward then let's leave it at that. We don't want to force you to do anything. I know you remember?" Serah reminded her before Lightning started on her second cookie.

"I don't know."

Serah Farron was a teacher by day and a philosopher by night. If her sister thought she could just walk away even if Lightning was teasing her. Well her older sister had another thing coming. Serah was going to make sure she got married. Period.

"Hope wouldn't stop bragging about you."

_A bait. _

Claire paused her enjoyment from her cookie before looking back in mild surprise. "He bragged? About what?"

Smiling as sincerely as possible Serah reached for a cookie too. "Yup. Almost zoned out myself. All I did was ask him why he wanted to marry you. It was cute for a while, then it made me self-conscience. I don't think Snow ever complemented my hair that much."

Her blue eyes darted to Serah. Testing the truth.

It would be a lie if Lightning didn't admit to herself that her stomach had a momentarily flying sensation. Or maybe she needed to go see a doctor. Either way it felt good.

"He did?"

Serah bit into her cookie casually. "Yeah, like I said I sort of tuned out after a while. He basically said you were too perfect."

_Bingo!_

Lowering her gaze Lighting reached for her phone. Unlocking it to see if Hope had replied at all she chuckled when she saw a picture of Jack looking joyfully on a toy horse.

The caption read, "I agree with him."

Hope was a dork. That much was true, even downright cheesy. If being a scientist didn't work out for him in another life he could probably direct those flimsy chick films that sell well during the holidays.

But he was her Hope. Even if the price was rolling her eyes a bit too much.

"So then. What else did he say?"

Serah paused before realizing that she really didn't recall much after Hope left. They discussed work but that didn't seem to be something worth mentioning. Still Lightning could detect any lies from her. It was best to stay clear from that direction.

"Well I brought up work and he seemed a bit passive about it. He said Alyssa is coming back to get a promotion." Serah finished up as she reached for a napkin. Then she saw her sister's face and realized she screwed up.

Did Hope seriously not tell...

"Hope never mentioned that. Must have slipped his mind," Claire said flatly before Serah panicked inside reaching for a miracle.

Then she remembered Hope mentioning about time off from work and being home. "Uh well you know Hope. He's always a thinker that one. Snow does it too, well sometimes. Okay he forgets things sometimes, but that's not the point." Serah stated as Lightning's lips curled into a smirk.

Any chance to insult her brother in law at Serah's expense was always welcomed. The younger sister cocked her head to the side.

"You know he did say that he didn't pay much attention about work nowadays, you're his priority." Serah beamed at her. Feeling a bit unnerved Lightning reached for her temple. All this 'stuff' was making her feel weird. Talking about Hope like he was the only care in the world and Serah's constant pushy attitude. Maybe it was better to just focus on the birthday party.

Lightning was about to make this case before Serah reached for her phone and closed her eyes after seeing the screen. "I can't believe he already..."

Hearing the surprised tone Lightning lifted her head in question before Serah bit her lip. Thinking it over the younger sibling winked before adding,"Remember technically you're not supposed to see this. As far as Hope knows were working together to flip you."

Feeling a faint groan at that Lightning turned to the phone in Serah hand before musing at the sight.

"Hope...you idiot."

There he was, the so called respected researcher and Director fanning out a set of wedding dress catalogs. With a text reading,"Which ones should I take? Like all of them?"

At this point Lightning wasn't going to have much of a say if she let Hope continue at this pace. Still she scanned the rather heavy catalogs on screen and paused at the right side of his arm. Barely able to carry everything.

"I like the purple book. That one seems interesting." Claire said suddenly surprising Serah. Parting her lips Serah looked between her sister and the phone. "So does this mean? I-I'll text him back and make sure-"

"Oh don't do that. Make him bring all of them. I simply stated that I _liked_ the purple one."

Both pair of blue eyes stared at each other before the younger sibling snickered. "Oh you're terrible Claire."

Shrugging back Lightning got up. "I'm not going down without a fight. I mean it."


End file.
